Interposed Fortunes
by Matt Morwell
Summary: AU. Book 4 of 4. With the fate of everything he ever knew remaining in question, Kyle may need to give up his life to save everyone from the wrath of the magicians... Updated Mar 16 2008
1. The Jade Factor

**_Interposed Fortunes_**

by Matt Morwell

* * *

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IMPORTANT: This story is the sequel to **Imperiled Future.** If you want to read this story and haven't read its predecessor first, it is highly recommended that you do so in order to understand the associated characters and events hereto.

Author's Notes: With the coming of September comes a new fic; my hiatus is officially ended. I guess I should insert the requisite disclaimer here. (Yu-Gi-Oh! is not mine, nor are its characters, its events, or its duel disk specifications. So I'll never get rich off those. Damn. But all of the original characters, events, and technological concepts ARE mine, so ask before you use them.) This has officially become the biggest writing project I've undertaken. That is, until another one I write later on takes its place. This is the fourth epic tale in the **Shielded Destiny** series, and I'm pulling out the big guns for this one. I have no idea how long it'll be, and I barely know how it's going to end. So I hope you'll indulge the director and let him sit in the theater as he watches the premiere of his big movie with the rest of you.

* * *

The scene before her looked more like a road chase movie set... skid marks and shreds of rubber gave way to pieces of metal and a swath of dark blood, all leading to an unmoving form. Hands fumbling slightly, she unbuckled her seat belt and scrambled out of the car.

It was Kyle.

He was lying at an awkward angle on the blood-tinged pavement. His right leg was pinned under the wreckage of his motorcycle, but it was bent at an impossible angle. His right arm bore gashes in it and it hung limply away from his collarbone, as if it had been pulled out. It could have been her imagination, but she almost thought she could see something white poking out of his arm. The side of his head was bereft of hair and skin; the flesh underneath had been exposed and provided a horrific splotch to the rest of his countenance, which was pale, almost chalk-white. A wide pool of blood surrounded him.

But possibly the most frightening of all, he didn't even seem to be in pain.

And the reason was apparent in the lack of movement in his chest.

He wasn't breathing.

He's dead_, she thought, shuddering. _They were going so fast. The bike must have gone over. He's dead.

* * *

She tried several times to lift the bike off his leg – it was large and heavy, even in its mangled state, and she lacked the leverage needed to move it as easily as he did. Once she had it off him, she dropped it to the side and knelt down to check his pulse. _I have to_, her mind noted dazedly, _it's just one of those things that you do._

Her fingers found the hollow of his throat and rested there, half-heartedly seeking a familiar beat…

And astoundingly, _it was there_.

But faint, so very faint...

Stunned, it took her a moment to comprehend what she was feeling; during this time she could do little else but stare. When her mind finally caught up, she made several logical decisions. She had to get him to a hospital, she had to move him to do so, she had to move him despite the fact that it may make his injuries worse, because she simply had no other choice.

He's not breathing. Do something about it!

"Kyle? Kyle, wake up. Kyle!"

For several moments, it seemed as though nothing was going to come of the desperate command. But then, miraculously, as if he'd heard her, his jaw tightened slightly and he noisily sucked in air.

"Dammit," she swore, fully realizing the situation she was in. "Hang on, Kyle."

There was something strapped to his back, large and bulky and gold-colored, hidden under him but naggingly familiar… _That pendant that he wears. It looks a lot like that. But… full size. What's going on?_

The only possible way she could carry him would be to lift him under his arms. "Kyle, can you hear me? Listen to me. It's Jade." She tried to pull it off him, but straps went over his shoulders and she could see no buckles. Her mind darted back to her car, wondering if she had anything inside that would cut the straps so she could move him.

A slight groan escaped his lips. It was a gross understatement of the pain he must have been in at that moment.

****

Kyle! I know you are there! Jade is here! Wake up!

KYLE!

...Theoris...

Kyle's eyelids tightened oh so slightly over his eyes, the only indication he could give that he was still here. He wanted to move, but he knew that was impossible. He tried to think, but even that was a difficult task to accomplish. _Theoris... what... what's happening...?_

Jade is here! She is trying to help you!

Jade... what...?

His tongue clicked against the back of his throat as he tried to form the first letter of her name. Even then, he could only whisper. "J... J..."

Jade stopped trying to pull the straps off. "I'm right here, Kyle," she said. "I'm going to get something to cut these straps off with so I can take you to the hospital. Don't try to move, okay?" She felt the need to keep talking, knowing that he probably wouldn't be able to answer.

She hated to leave him alone on the road, even if it was only to run to her car; nevertheless, she ran back to the car and retrieved from the glovebox a small pocketknife. Returning to his side, she said, "Don't worry. We'll get this thing off."

His teeth chattered against each other as he tried to close his jaw. "N... nnnn..."

****

Kyle, do not let her cut the straps... shrink the shield!

I... I'm trying... I...

Kyle, focus on my voice. I am here with you. Put the shield in your mind. Think of it, on your back.

O-okay... I... I have it...

Now, think of it as small. In its pendant form. Around your neck, on the chain, where it belongs.

As the pocketknife neared the strap, the Millennium Shield suddenly blazed with golden fire. Jade pulled her hands back with a yelp.

Before her eyes, the shield transformed into bands of pure light... bands which flowed out from behind him and bent around him – something else which seemed impossible – before finally meeting each other again on the thin gold chain about his neck.

The light congealed into the pendant that Jade had come to know.

She didn't question... at least, not right there, at that time, because she still needed to get him to the hospital. As she pulled him toward her car, a second trail of red made a wake from the wreck, making her stomach turn. She laid him across the backseat, wishing for a moment her car was larger, and then started the car.

She drove as fast as she dared, taking the first open off-ramp, looking back every few seconds to gauge how Kyle was doing. "Are you listening to me, Kyle? We're going to the hospital. Stay awake."

Kyle's breathing was heavy and labored, as if he couldn't get air in as fast as he needed it... or as if he wasn't getting enough. He was still bleeding badly, and he tried desperately to find a way to talk to Jade. Unfortunately, the speed he wanted his mind and body to move was quite different from the speed they would let him move.

His teeth continued to chatter and his whispering was full of violent shuddering. "C... c-c-c.... co..."

She made it to the hospital in record time, honking her horn wildly and screeching to a halt straddling the curb and the emergency parking. She leapt out and opened the backseat door.

"Hold on. If you fall asleep, I'm going to kick your ass later," she quipped, before she was pushed out of the way by the doctors who had come running out of the building at her arrival.

"What happened here?" one of the doctors asked.

"He was in a motorcycle accident."

"And you found him?"

"Look, just help him!" Jade snapped. The tone of her voice was vicious enough that the doctor didn't ask any more questions. She watched as they put Kyle on a gurney and rushed him through the doors. Try as she might, she couldn't suppress a shudder at everything that had happened in the last five minutes.

"Miss, wait, where are you going?" One of the nurses tried to stop her as she got back in the driver's seat.

"I'll be back soon." She shrugged the nurse off.

–

She expected the scene to be rife with police and morbid bystanders, like most accident scenes were, even one on a supposedly closed highway. Yet there was no one around – there was just the wreckage of Kyle's motorcycle and the drying blood to mark where he had been. She walked around slowly, trying to memorize how everything looked.

His duel disk had fallen off his forearm when she had pulled him into the car, and the Gate Guardian card was still pressed to the play area, undamaged – though the disk was probably ruined. She felt distinctly guilty when she picked up the Gate Guardian and put it in her pocket. She slowly combed the scene for the rest of his cards. Most were still in the same area, but a few had traveled to the edge of the road in the light wind. A few – and it took a good deal of willpower to pick these up – were utterly ruined from where they had been saturated by his blood.

Once she had collected all of the cards she could find, she rolled the wreckage of his bike as far off the road as she could. She put the duel disk on the passenger seat beside her, and drove back to the hospital.

–

"Excuse me." She flagged down a nurse in the hallway. "There was a guy about my age brought in earlier. He was in a motorcycle accident. Can you tell me where I can find him?"

The nurse offered a sympathetic look. "You are the one who brought him in, yes? He's still in the emergency room. He lost a great deal of blood and his body is having trouble incorporating the transfusions we are trying to administer. Our doctors are doing everything they can for him."

The last phrase was spoken with a sort of false sincerity to it, as though she were trying to reassure Jade that everything would be all right, when the actual situation was much worse.  
Jade pushed her hair back from her face with both hands, sighing. There was, for the moment, nothing she could do. "Okay," she said. "Then can you point me in the direction of the waiting room or something... and let me know when he's out of emergency...?"

The nurse nodded. "Of course." She pointed to Jade's left. "There is a waiting room on his floor. Take that elevator up to level three and it should lead you to a lobby there. I will tell you as soon as we know anything at all. Is that satisfactory?"

She nodded, following the directions. The waiting room was noisy and crowded, and Jade squeezed into a hard plastic chair on the end of a row. And despite her best intentions, she fell asleep; her dreams consisted mostly of squealing tires, the crunch of metal on pavement, and glowing necklaces.

–

Hours later, the nurse lived up to her word and sought out Jade in the waiting room. By now, it was past midnight, and surely the Battle City finals were already taking place. People were watching the television, transfixed on the tube, as they heard the latest updates from Kaiba Craft 3, the blimp in which the finalists were apparently being transported and – even now – dueling.

The nurse gently shook Jade's shoulder. "Miss? I have news regarding your friend."

Jade woke disoriented, looking up at the nurse. "Where is he? Is he all right?"

"He is alive–" the words made Jade breath a sigh of relief "–but far from 'all right'. His injuries are very severe. If you had reached him even five minutes later than you did..." The nurse sighed. "He is very fortunate that you came at that time. His chances for survival are certainly better now, but... full recovery is not probable. For now, he is in stable condition, but still very frail."

"I want to see him," Jade demanded, standing up.

"It is not advisable for him to have visitors at this time," the nurse protested.

"Look, he doesn't have anyone else who's going to visit him. I swear I won't lay a finger on him, but I want to see him, and you're going to show me where he is."

The nurse was dismayed, but ultimately, she ended up showing Jade to a room on the north end; when Jade entered, her nose wrinkled instinctively at the smell of disinfectant and some other material unique to hospitals.

He looked absolutely terrible, even in a more cleaned-up state. At least half his body had been wrapped up in gauze, and his right leg was in a full cast all the way up to his thigh. His right arm wasn't much better off, either; it was rigged in a sling and had also been tucked away in a full cast. His face was still pale – what there was that she could see of it, because it too had been half-covered in bandages.

She took a seat beside his bed, watching him as he slept, or lay unconscious... whichever he was at the moment.

"Hey," she said, to break the silence. "I brought your deck. Your disk is pretty mauled, you'll need a new one. But I'm pretty sure I got all your cards. Even the Gate Guardian." She fished it out of her pocket and held it up, even though his eyes were closed. "It's right here." She put it down beside his hand on the pristine white bed sheet. She would have put it in his hand, but she was worried he would crush it if he woke.

She closed her eyes for a moment and pinched the bridge of her nose. "You realize how much explaining you have to do when you wake up? Those freaks on horseback, and that necklace of yours... nothing's making sense and I know you know something about it."

He didn't respond. He simply lay there, swathed in gauze and a typical hospital gown that, were he not lying down, would have provided his back with a rather sizeable draft. The blood had been washed away from him, for the most part, except for where the actual injuries were. His lips were slightly cracked, and from under the edges of the gauze, his scraped flesh could just be made out.

Whatever his dreams, they weren't making him stir.

Jade had heard somewhere that talking to unconscious people sometimes brought them around. She wasn't sure if there was any truth in that, but it certainly couldn't hurt. _Besides_, she mused wryly, _I think I just figured out that it's almost as much for the people talking as it is for the patient._ "Well, I might as well tell you about the Battle City finals. It's being televised."

She shifted around in her seat. "Yugi Motou and Ryou Bakura played the first match. I didn't see it but apparently it was right down to the last turn. Bakura played the card Dark Necrofear and Motou played a monster I've never heard of before. There are rumors about special one-of-a-kind cards... it had to be one of those."

Kyle's fingers shifted ever so slightly, lifting up and down. The movement was infinitesimal, but it was real. It was almost as if they were trying to move towards his Gate Guardian card... though how he could know it was there was a mystery, if he was asleep.

"The second duel is still going on, the results haven't been aired yet. It's listing Joey Wheeler and Malik Ishtar as the duelists, though."

Kyle remained unresponsive. The bleeping of the various monitors around him was momentarily the only noise that interrupted the silence between the two duelists.

"So that's what's going on." She regarded him frankly. "You're really lucky, Kyle. Your bike is totaled, right trashed, no saving it. You're lucky you're not the same way. I followed you because... hell, I don't even know why I followed you. But I'm glad I did."

She noticed something then, something that hadn't registered because she'd purposely pushed it out of her mind so she didn't drive herself crazy wondering about it. His neck, aside from a swatch of bandages, was unadorned. He wasn't wearing his necklace.

She hunted around until she found his clothing – what was left of it – on the shelf under the wheeled medical tray. She rummaged though it, trying to ignore the blood stains, until she found a paper bag labeled "Personal" and opened it. Among other things, the gold chain was in there. She pulled it out and let it dangle from her fingers for a moment.

The pendant seemed to be catching the light a certain way... which was odd, because there wasn't much light coming into the room, and beyond that, Jade was holding it up against her view of the door. That the front was catching light at all was... disturbing.

No. No, it wasn't catching the light. As impossible as it seemed, it was emitting _its own._

It was... _glimmering._

Her first instinct was something along the lines of "Stuff it back in the bag" or "Throw it across the room", neither of which she obeyed. Instead, fascinated, she watched it, almost transfixed by the way it shone. _Officially moving to the top of the weird list_, she thought, _but... _She leaned over and worked it as gently as possible over Kyle's head and down around his neck.

Whatever it is, whatever it was I think I saw, or did see... it's important to him.

The glimmering of the pendant brightened, but didn't intensify. It was a warm, soft glow. Something about the light seemed to make it imply – as absurd as the concept of a tone of light implying anything sounded – that this was exactly where the pendant belonged... right here, with Kyle, its owner.

He began to stir.

"Kyle?" Jade asked softly.

The same warm, soft glow from the pendant suddenly appeared in the center of Kyle's forehead. The glow had a greater intensity in the center... as if it had form. And the form it took was the same eye shape that was on the pendant.

Kyle's eyes opened.

They were glowing gold.


	2. Theoris: Revealed

_A/N: Maybe it's time for a new chapter? Here's Chapter 2, for your delectation._

_Chibigreen: Thanks! Glad you're still enjoying the ongoing story! I know I am._

_Ankhutenshi: Of course, if Jade DID check herself into a therapist, she'd be locked away and that would just about end any more visits from her, wouldn't it? Except for that little vanishing talent she has... hmm..._

_Penny: How's one chapter a week for "not too fast"? At least at first. Dunno how fast I really intend to go with it._

_Monica: Ha! We have a winner! Somebody is starting to warm up to Jade! Make room, everyone._

_Wolf: Provocative is goooood. Yes. Anyway, college isn't doing a whole lot of harm to my writings, now that you mention it, although it certainly is busy with its own comings and goings... just as soon as a research paper goes, here comes a test!_

* * *

She didn't scream, although she might have if she had remembered that she needed to breathe. Nor did she move away from the bed, though her mind agreed that it would have been a wise course of action. Instead, she sat, frozen and wide-eyed, staring at Kyle.

His lips parted, and he spoke. Or at least, it _seemed _to be him that spoke. But the qualities of his voice were changed. It was still his voice, but there was an unnerving echoing quality to it, as if a grown man's voice was somehow overlaying his own. His speech was soft; perhaps he recognized the echoing made his voice louder than normal.

**"Kyle is here... but I am not Kyle."** He didn't turn his head. **"You are Jade. You have our eternal gratitude for saving him."**

_No, not Kyle._ Even if he (it? he?) hadn't outright said it, without the glowing effects, she would have known it wasn't Kyle.

"Who are you?" she demanded, just now finding her voice again. "I want to know what's going on! What sort of..." She only hesitated a second before saying the word, for though it had always been an integral part of the books she read, this was real life... and what else would you call it? "What sort of magic or trick is this?"

**"My name is Theoris. I know you have many questions. I am more than willing to answer them to the best of my ability. It is the least I can offer you for saving Kyle."** He breathed for a few moments before continuing. **"What you are seeing is no mere 'trick'. The magic you behold now comes from the Millennium Shield. That is the item Kyle carries about his neck. It is, for lack of a better term, my place of residence. I exist in the form of a spirit within the shield, by powerful magic thousands of years old."**

"Okay," Jade said slowly. "I guess I'm in no position to deny anything at the moment. If you're a spirit, how are you talking to me? Can I talk to Kyle?"

"**I am speaking to you with his permission,"** Theoris said carefully, knowing that synonyms of the word "possess" were not liable to make people happy. **"I have access to his faculties when he is unable or unwilling to access them himself. As for your second question, Kyle is still resting within his own mind. I will awaken him if you wish me to... it would take several moments, however."** A small smile flitted across Kyle's – Theoris'? – features. **"Time you may take to ask other questions of me, if you wish."**

"Let him sleep, he probably needs it," she responded automatically, then was quiet for a moment. He – Theoris? – seemed to be willing to indulge her multitude of questions, so Jade took advantage of the opportunity. "Why do you 'reside' in the necklace? Millennium Shield," she corrected herself, realizing he had given it a proper name already. "Where did it come from? Where did _you_ come from? Why does Kyle have it, what is with those guys on horseback, and tell me this 'thousand year old magic' is going to do something useful like help Kyle _heal_, instead of just glowing like a tinted nightlight." She became acutely aware that her sarcastic humor was creeping back into her voice.

**"I know not why I reside within the shield,"** Theoris responded promptly. **"My body has been long dead. Why my spirit bonded with the shield is a mystery to me. Perhaps it is because I was touching the shield as I died. Its former owner was also touching the shield as he died; his spirit was likewise absorbed into the shield. He is no longer present, however."**

He blinked once, slowly, before continuing. **"The item and I both have our origins in Egypt. Ancient Egypt, as the world knows it today. We resided in an age long past. By your current notion of time, it has been thousands of years since my death, and the disappearance of the shield."**

Theoris drew in a slow breath. **"Kyle acquired it while his family was touring present-day Egypt. In his foolish rebelliousness, he joined a band of tomb robbers and found the shield by accident. He has had it ever since that day.**

**"The men on horseback are descended from an ancient clan of magicians, also from Egypt. They have lusted after the power of the shield since it was forged. They lost sight of the shield the day I died, alongside several of their kin. Now that Kyle has found it, the magicians are again able to sense its power. That is why they torment him now. And why they tried to kill him today.**

**"And as to my magic, it does not entail healing powers. I have little control over the degree of physical damage done to Kyle's body. The shield is, however, able to block magical attacks."**

Jade cocked her head. "What about Kyle's friend, Monica?"

Theoris frowned; the sight of Kyle's brow furrowing over his glowing eyes was more than a little frightening. **"She is a pawn in their game. The magicians kidnapped her as bait for Kyle to fall into their various traps. He has overcome them all thus far... all except this last. She is still being held captive."**

"And Kyle was trying to rescue her," Jade finished, "when this happened. Correct?"

**"Yes."**

Jade hummed, thinking, noting in some part of her mind that there would be no way she could explain this if a nurse came into the room. "What happens now?"

His brow furrowed again. **"I am not certain. But Kyle wishes to know if his friend still lives. Cody Smith is his name, though Kyle prefers to call him 'Chubs'."**

"I know of him. He's a good duelist," she answered. "I'll find out."

**"Thank you."** Theoris sighed. **"I know this is all... overwhelming. I apologize for this. I do not ask that you believe anything I have said. It is your choice to accept or reject it. However, it is the truth that Kyle and I have been forced to live by."** He closed his eyes.** "His mind grows restless. He will awaken soon."**

"I've read about this sort of thing since I was old enough to read," Jade said wryly. "And I'm not saying it's the same thing, but... I don't know. Don't apologize... Theoris... open minds and all that. I'll let you know when it _really_ sinks in. You'll probably have to explain this all over again." She offered a smile. "Is there anything else I can do, other than check up on Chubs?"

**"I believe Kyle wishes to speak with you, once he is awake,"** Theoris responded. **"No doubt you have questions for him, as well. He also has questions for you."**

"Okay," she responded. "I'm not going anywhere."

**"Thank you. And thank you for keeping an open mind. Even despite the magic you see now, that quality was not so abundant in my time."** Theoris offered a smile of his own.

The glow of the pendant faded, as did the light upon Kyle's forehead.

"Kyle?" she tried again. "Are you awake?"

His head rocked one way, and then another. Then his eyes opened again – this time, without their glowing qualities, to reveal soft gray pools. "Ow."

Jade grinned. "That's got to be the understatement of the century. Welcome back to the land of the living."

"I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you," he responded. "I don't know how to thank you... short of giving you Gate Guardian..."

"No, no... you don't have to repay me for bringing you to the hospital, Kyle." Jade shook her head. "Besides, I've just had the most... enlightening... conversation."

"So I'm told. I'm sorry, Jade. I know it's a lot to take in."

She shrugged. "He, uh... Theoris asked me to check on Chubs. If you didn't know."

"Theoris tells me everything. Otherwise he doesn't get to use my body." Kyle sighed. "He didn't tell you why Chubs is in a hospital bed, though."

He chewed on his lip, then instantly regretted the action since his lip was still cracked in several places. "Chubs was another pawn in the magicians' game. They had him strung up in a gallows and made me duel him. He lost. So he was hanged."

"Gallows? Hanged?" Jade repeated incredulously. "As in, noose?"

"Yes, noose. I tried to stop them, but like Theoris said... the power of the shield can't control what physical harm befalls a person. They knew that."

"I'll find out," Jade repeated, though with somewhat less vigor.

"I appreciate it." Kyle closed his eyes, but he was far too restless now to fall asleep.

"You should try and get some more rest. You're in really rough shape," Jade cautioned. She remembered something and pulled the duel disk out of her bag. "I brought this back. The bike I had to leave, but there's nothing really left of it. Kyle," she said, "there were cards on the disk, and it was still in play position. Were you dueling?" Her voice held a note of flat incredulity.

He sighed. "Yes. Against my better judgment, believe me."

"I'm not even going to ask how fast you were going, and if you tell me, I'll hit you, hospital bed or not," she threatened. "You're going to be here for a good long while." She got up and stretched, then padded to the door where his chart was hanging on the clipboard. Taking it down, she brought it back over to the bed and flipped through it. "Want to know the damage?"

"I could probably estimate it," he answered dryly. "My eyes are telling me a lot. The pain's telling me even more, despite the painkillers I'm probably getting high on. Casts on my leg and my arm. From the bottom up, I'd say broken leg, with a little shredding on the side; broken and/or dislocated arm; and concussion. Probably a lump up there that could qualify as a second head, too. How far off am I?"

"Surprisingly accurate. Leg's broken in five places, arm in three _and_ dislocated. You missed the bruised ribs – how you didn't outright break them is sort of a minor miracle – but you'll probably feel those when you sit up for the first time. I think it's safe to say you're out of Battle City."

He scoffed. "Maybe I'll give Theoris the lump for his own head so he doesn't need mine."

Jade chuckled.

His face cleared of emotion, save one... torment. "They still have her."

She put the chart back on the wall, not answering.

"I've spent the entire day trying to save her. Jumping through their hoops. Made to duel people under insane circumstances." He shook his head sadly. "All because of this damned shield. And I'm nowhere closer to her than I was before."

"Kyle, I doubt you could even get out of that bed without help or at least a lot of pain, let alone run around Domino City trying to find these people," Jade said flatly.

"I know, I know. And..." He sighed once more. "The thought's occurred to me, more than once, that maybe I should just give up... give them what they want. They're willing to do whatever they feel they have to do."

He looked up at her. "But in that is the paradox. Giving it to them is the last thing I want to do. And I've got no idea what the hell I'm supposed to do now." He glanced down at his hand, which hadn't moved away from the Gate Guardian card she'd placed next to it. He picked it up and eyed it contemplatively. "Can I hope that all of my cards are in as good condition as this one?"

"No," she replied promptly, "but I think I managed to get them all. Some of them, believe me, you don't want back."

He nodded. "Fine. The Blue-Eyes cards?"

Jade pulled the rest of the deck from her pocket and put it down on the swinging table. "All four are fine. You do realize those are stolen, right, and if you're caught with them you'll probably never leave a Japanese jail?"

He scoffed. "That would be just like Kaiba, too, to sic the police on a man in the hospital. But even _he_ can't lay a legal claim to a piece of glorified card paper. If he'd thought to emboss the back with 'Property Of Seto Kaiba', I'd hand them over to him in an instant... but right now, as far as I'm concerned, their real owner is Monica Zocallos. And they're the last remnant I have of her now." He picked through the deck until he found all three Blue-Eyes cards, and he eyed them carefully for any signs of scratching. _Monica hates marred cards._

"So now what?" Jade asked, unconsciously repeating what she had asked Theoris.

"Now... now we wait. It's all we can do." His expression was grim, but set. "The magicians may have Monica, but I'm still alive and the shield is still under my control. They won't kill her. Not yet, anyway. They need her alive to bait me. And that means there's still a chance to save her."

Jade went to the window and looked out, but there was little traffic. She glanced at her watch and was only semi-surprised to see it was well into the wee hours of the morning. "I'll go find Chubs," she said finally.

Kyle nodded once. "I'm going to try to sleep. Unless, of course, you plan to kick my ass once I do."

She flushed, though it wasn't as noticeable in the dim room. "Yeah, well, I was worried if you did, you wouldn't wake back up," she defended. "And I... wasn't sure you could even hear me," she added, mumbling.

Despite the situation, Kyle was able to offer a slight smile. "It's okay. I needed to hear it. The first ass-kicking you gave me cost me Sanga. I wasn't about to let it happen again."

She gave him a wide smile. "And don't you forget it. I'll be back soon, okay?"

"Okay. Stay safe out there. They may have you picked out as a target now, too. Keep your duel disk and your wits handy."

"They can't catch what they can't find," she said seriously, and pulled the door shut behind her.  
–

Two Hours Later

–

Jade let herself into the room and quietly went to the bed. If Kyle was sleeping, she didn't want to wake him, but the beaten-looking chair sagged and whined when she sat in it and she cursed silently.

Kyle's eyes opened halfway. "The light from that hallway is impossible to ignore. Like someone's shining a damned floodlight into the room."

She grinned at that, slumping further into the chair, tired. "I could see if I could get you one of those granny-masks, or something like that."

"Nah, the nurses would just find another way to make my life a living hell. Too bad for them they never figured out it already is." He scoffed. "Did you find Chubs?"

"Yes," Jade answered. "And he's alive but the police are crawling all over. They're treating it as 'extremely suspicious' and I can't say I blame them. He's fine, but whatever was used for the noose – they know it wasn't rope – crushed part of his windpipe and seriously damaged his voicebox. Usually when people are hanged, the force snaps the neck, so he's lucky." She paused. "There seems to be a lot of that going around. It's going to be a while before he can speak properly... maybe even a few months."

Kyle sighed in disappointment. "I suppose we should count our blessings. He's alive, that's the important thing. And if he can recover... someone up there's being nice today."

Jade nodded, mostly to herself. "Don't, err, go throwing that information around, though. About Chubs. It's kind of classified."

He scoffed. "Yet another reason why it's not a good idea to get on your bad side. You find stuff you're not supposed to."

She shrugged, then muffled a yawn against her hand. "Have you been keeping up with the Finals?" she asked.

"Yeah. Last I saw, the guy claiming to be Malik Ishtar was using that name as an alias and the _real _Ishtar dueled Mai Valentine. And won. Kaiba and some mystery duelist went at it, too, but the report's not back on that yet." He glanced sidelong at her. "You know, you could have been there with them."

Jade pulled her six locator cards from the inside pocket of her jacket and looked at them. "You and me both, we've each got six. Guess things just got in the way." She returned the cards to her jacket and let her eyes drift closed.

"Yeah. Guess so." Kyle didn't bother saying anything about Gate Guardian's involvement in that matter. There was no point now. They'd both done what they'd both done; there was no changing the fact itself. There was change in themselves, though. That was what counted here.

_Gate Guardian... and I got it into that last duel..._

_**But it was being attacked by that fusion monster.**_

_Yeah, thanks for reminding me._ The thanks were genuine. Kyle's brow furrowed slightly. "Jade, I need to know something about Dark Magician. I figure you're the one to ask."

Jade opened her eyes and nodded. "Sure."

"It's fusion material. What for?"

"Umm..." Jade said, chewing her lower lip as she mentally ran through all the fusion combinations she knew of. "Dark Flare Knight? Fusion of Dark Magician and Flame Swordsman. Weaker than Magician, but pretty good if you can use it properly. Still, it's not really my cup of tea."

Kyle's first inclination was to shake his head, but avoided this instinct in favor of keeping his cranial fluids balanced. _That can't be the one we saw._ "Anything else?"

She started to shake her head. "Well... Dark Magician and Buster Blader fuse to make Dark Paladin... but I don't think I've ever seen one played."

_That's got to be the one._ "I think I have."

"What?" Jade perked up. "When? Where?"

"My duel on the road." He chewed the inside of his cheek, an infinitely preferable choice to his lip. "I had Gate Guardian on my field. My opponent had a Dark Magician on his. He fused it with a Versago the Destroyer. The result was... pretty cool, I'll admit... but apparently even more dangerous than I thought it was. What are the ratings for this Dark Paladin?"

Again, Jade had to stop and remember what she knew about the fusion monster before replying. "Level 8, I think. Yeah... yeah, level 8. I remember now. 2900 attack, and 2400 defense."

"It was attacking Gate Guardian with an attack factor of 3900. It can't be that low."

"Its _base_ attack power is," Jade clarified. "But part of the fusion is Blader, and Paladin has an enhanced version of Blader's effect. It gets 500 extra attack points for every Dragon-Type on both fields and in both graveyards. It's kind of like the Holy Grail of spellcasters." She smiled grimly. "And it's got another effect, too, if I'm not mistaken... lets you negate a magic card by discarding from your hand."

Kyle winced. "Yeah, he used that effect. Holy Grail, indeed. I was playing a whole slew of magic cards after he brought it out. He kept blowing them out of the water." He took a moment for silent consideration. "So that's why. I had Black Dragon Jungle King and one Blue-Eyes in my grave. I had a Widespread Ruin waiting for it, but that was the only backup I had. If he'd taken Guardian out..." He shook his head.

Jade grimaced, but nodded, picturing the scenario in her own mind.

"Wow. If I ever come across that guy again, I'm going to have to make sure to keep my dragons in check. Whoever he was, he was taking some serious chances. Not like the other magicians, always hiding behind something else. He laid it all out on the table."

She shrugged. "I guess that works for some duelists. I knew someone like that."

"I try to be like that sometimes, but it doesn't work out quite the way I'd like it to." He snorted. "This guy, he wasn't the best at what he was doing. Don't get me wrong, he had good monsters... just not good strategies. Didn't seem to aim either of his eyeballs at my magic/trap field."

Jade didn't respond, just sat in the chair and continued to chew on her lower lip unconsciously.

"He'd probably do you proud, though, where Dark Magician is concerned. He had just about every possible permutation. He even got out a Dark Sage at one point." Kyle suddenly seemed to realize something, and he smiled apologetically at her. "I'm sorry, I'm rambling on and on. Must be boring."

"Hm?" She seemed to snap out of her thoughts. "Sorry... I guess I'm just tired. It's something like five in the morning."

"You've been up all this time?"

"I slept a couple hours on and off after I brought you in, but yeah. And it's catching up to me."

Kyle blinked in surprise. "Wow. I worry you that much, huh?" He allowed a slight smile. "Nice to know someone cares. Get some sleep. Maybe the staff will be accommodating enough to have a cot or something."

"Mm-hmmm..." Jade answered, already half-asleep in the chair.

Kyle let out an amused snort. "Or not..."

Kyle watched her for several minutes as she drifted further into the comforting darkness of sleep. _I hope she'll never have to be afraid of that kind of darkness. Now I won't be able to catch a wink for a while._ He glanced down wistfully at his arm and leg, entombed in their casts. _And I won't be going much of anywhere, either._

He "heard" Theoris suddenly emit his version of a hiss. _What is it?_

_**A Millennium item draws near.**_


	3. Serendipity

_A/N: With the season premiere of Waking the Dragons on WB today, as well as those brand-spankin'-new duel disks (I want one, dammit), I hereby deem today as a good day for a new chapter. Enjoy!_

_Chibigreen: It's no surprise that you didn't like Jade at first; neither did most people. I think that was mostly due to her psycho-stalker methods._

_Eusine: Ahh, you like 'em, huh? I hope you'll like this one, too._

_Wolf: Don't forget the Millennium Eye, also in Bakura's possession aboard KC3... or by this point, in the Shadow Realm. Losing sucks, doesn't it?_

* * *

_Is it hostile?_

_**I know not. But be wary.**_

The door drifted open.

No one came through it.

Kyle frowned. _That's weird. Did someone push it open? There couldn't be a draft in this building, too many germs..._

_**It draws closer! It is in the room with us!**_

_What?!_

Kyle tried to sit up – and fell prey to Jade's prediction of feeling his ribs complain. He groaned and fell back to his bed.

His eyes darted about the room, trying to identify anything amiss, besides the open door.

But the door was closing. The latch audibly snapped shut, but there was apparently no one there to close it.

His frown deepened. _What's going on here?_

_**It draws even nearer to us now! It must be hiding its bearer!**_

Kyle finally spoke up. "Show yourself."

Jade stirred at his voice, but her breathing remained steady and even.

The air on the left side of his bed wavered, as if it were a mirage. Then it seemed to give way to a form – a human form in a long tan robe.

Kyle's eyes narrowed. "You again. What do you want?"

Shadi was expressionless, but his sapphire eyes blazed. "I wish to help you."

"A far cry from what you wished at our last meeting."

"You cannot always judge someone based on your past experience with that someone. As you have already seen and noted, people change." Shadi glanced at Jade meaningfully, then looked back at Kyle.

Kyle was silent a moment, unsure of how to answer this. Then he asked, "What sort of help are you offering?"

"My Millennium Ankh is gifted with the ability to heal injury. I wish to use it to heal you. You must be in good health in order to stop the magicians who continue to plague you."

Kyle blinked. "You've been watching all this time?"

"I have."

"Why haven't you done anything about it until now?"

"Because until this evening, the life of the bearer of the Millennium Shield was not so endangered."

"You could have gotten to me a lot sooner and this place wouldn't have had to donate its valuable blood supplies to me." Kyle glared in disapproval, but he received no response from the Egyptian. He sighed. "Can't you help in a more substantive manner than simply cleaning my wounds?"

Shadi captured Kyle's gaze. "It is not my mission to interfere directly in matters of your own concern. However, it is clear that the magicians are not to acquire the power of any Millennium item. In order to guarantee this, the items require a protector. You are that protector. Therefore, you must survive, and you must heal. Quickly."

Kyle scowled. "You're telling me I have to protect _all _of the Millennium items?"

"That was General Khensthoth's goal. It was Theoris' goal. Now it must be yours."

"But... how far will it go?"

"As far as it must."

"Will it ever end?"

"I cannot see the future. You know this. All I can tell you is that there will be a victor. And in order to ensure the Millennium items are protected, you must be that victor."

Kyle's voice became slightly louder. "Where does it stop? What do I have to do to win? What do I have to give up?"

"What you must."

"Damn you, Shadi, give me a straight answer for once!"

"I cannot. That is not within my power."

"Why not?!"

"Because you have not yet asked me a question whose answer I possess."

"You know, I'm generally cranky when I get woken up, and the fact that you're wearing a weird robe probably doesn't help your case any."

Kyle and Shadi both turned, to see that Jade's green eyes were open again, and blazing angrily at Shadi.

"So if you don't start explaining how you got in here and what you're doing, I'm going to kick your ass seven ways from Sunday and care about the color later. Start talking," Jade growled.

Kyle smirked at Shadi. "I think those questions have answers that you possess. And straight ones, at that."

"Indeed." Shadi bowed politely toward Jade. "I came in through the door. I am here to help heal Kyle's injuries."

Jade looked at him suspiciously, taking in the beige robe and turban, and the golden object hanging from his neck, then glanced at Kyle, judging what was going on.

Kyle glared at Shadi. "You're being difficult on purpose." He looked over to Jade and offered her yet another apologetic expression. "More Millennium magic."

"Of course," Jade replied, throwing her hands in the air a little. "I should have seen that one coming. Do you at least have a name, Guy-in-a-Turban?"

Shadi's expressionless face didn't take on any particular emotion, but his eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "My name is not important. What _is_ important is my task here. This Millennium magic is intended to heal him. My Millennium Ankh grants me this power. After my task is complete, I shall depart and not intrude upon your presence again. You have my word."

"Millennium Ankh... Millennium Shield... jeez, how many of these things are there?" Jade muttered rhetorically, stepping back from the bed, though her arms remained crossed and she didn't lessen her stance any, physically declaring that if Shadi did something she didn't like she'd follow through on her warning.

"Only seven were meant to exist," Shadi answered matter-of-factly. "The shield was not one of those seven."

Without further ado, he grasped his Millennium Ankh with one hand and placed his other hand gingerly on Kyle's shoulder. Kyle grimaced slightly. "Will this hurt?"

"Yes. But only for a moment."

The same warm glow that had become synonymous with Kyle's shield now emanated from the ankh, and Shadi's free hand. The golden energy washed over Kyle's body.

Kyle arched his back and cried out in indescribable pain. _Like someone's pouring a tub full of needles over me–!_

Jade's hands clenched into fists and she took a step forward towards him.

Kyle's outcry stopped as abruptly as it had started, and he slumped back onto his bed limply. Shadi released the teen's shoulder. "It is done."

And with those words, he vanished back into his mirage.

"Are you okay?" Jade asked, realizing just how often she had asked him that in the past day.

Kyle gasped for several moments before responding. "Uhh... ow?"

"That's it. Next time I hit him."

He blinked several times, and then stared at his right leg in awe and amazement. "He... he did it. I can feel it."

She sobered and gestured for him to hold out his arm. "This whole magic thing is new to me so you'll have to repeat... he actually healed you?"

Kyle reached up to the sling strap and pulled it away from his collarbone, and then tenderly off his shoulder, thus releasing his right arm. His arm dropped to his side.

And he didn't feel any pain at all.

He reached his arm out to her for her to inspect. She wasn't a doctor, but he rotated his shoulder for her and she ran her hand along what skin was still exposed. She couldn't see any evidence of injury. "Okay. So... you're healed."

He grinned at her for a moment. "I'm almost tempted to do a jig."

"... If you want. I should warn you that hospital gowns tend to be transparent for the most part, and that's without the slit going down to your rear end. You realize they're never going to let you get out of here, right? I mean, you were in surgery... what, a few hours ago?"

It was his turn to sober up. "Yeah, I know... this gives us a whole new list of problems."

"You don't have any clothes you can wear at the moment." Jade pulled the bag from under the table and tossed it lightly to him. "There's not much left of what you were wearing. Make sure you get your personal stuff out of there, though."

He looked in the bag and winced. "I didn't know I had that much blood to lose." He picked through it. "Ugh, even the underwear. Chubs' deck is still in its carrying case, though, that's a good thing. And my wallet. Conveniently with some money in it." He looked up at her. "Can I convince you to hunt for some new clothes on my behalf?"

Jade nodded, picking up her bag and putting it over her shoulder. "There's a robe in the bathroom," she said. "Put that on. If you wait here, you'll likely be found by nurses on rounds. Here, give me your wallet, I'll put it in the bag."

He obediently tossed her the wallet and carefully made his way out of his bed. His right leg dropped to the floor like a dead weight. He frowned at the cast on it and the one on his arm as well. "Gonna have to find a way to get these off later."

"I know how to get them off. But it takes a while, so live with them for now," Jade said, opening the door and sticking her head out to survey the hallway. "I can't believe this. We're breaking out of the hospital."

"I know, it's insane. But something tells me that's not the highest on your list of 'Weird Things' these days," Kyle remarked.

Jade managed to give both him and the shield around his neck the same withering glare. "Go put on your robe, smart-ass. I'll be back in a sec."

"Yes, ma'am." Kyle snickered and crept into the bathroom.

She returned a few moments later with a wheelchair as Kyle exited the bathroom – he'd removed a great deal of his bandages. Jade pointed at the wheelchair, indicating he should sit. "You realize we have to go past the nurse's station, right?"

"Yes." Kyle climbed into the chair. "Any ideas?"

"Yeah. You be quiet and don't say anything. This feels weird with two people," Jade grumbled, pushing the chair out the door and into the hallway. It was notably cooler, and brighter. She headed directly for the walled area beside the elevators.

_**Three people!**_

_Without a body, you don't count._

Theoris emitted his version of a harrumph. Kyle had to force down a grin.

They drew closer and closer to the station... and walked right past the nurse who had led Jade to the waiting room. There was a half-nod of greeting, but no recognition, nor did the other two inside the partition pay more than a casual glance in their direction. Jade pressed the Down call button beside the elevator doors and waited, as all hospital elevators are notoriously slow.

_**Are the nurses tired, or are they choosing to ignore the fact that this area is the recovery wing of what I thought, until now, was the aptly-named Intensive Care Unit?**_

_Thank your lucky stars they didn't notice. For all they care, we're a relatively uninjured friend in another wing of the hospital visiting an accident-prone acquaintance._

_**How terribly convenient.**_

_Hey, it works. And don't say anything to Jade, or she'll hit me._

_**Do not tempt me.**_

"Do you need help, Miss?" The nurse's voice interrupted Jade's mental mantra of curses against the slow elevator.

Jade half-turned, smiling. "No, thank you. I'm fine."

"Did you get lost?" the nurse asked sympathetically. Behind them, the elevator dinged and Jade backed into it, giving a false smile.

"No, I'm just going to pick up a friend," she answered, and the metal doors slid shut.

Kyle blinked. _What the hell is she talking about? Can the nurse somehow not see this wheelchair is..._

_Full..._

_OH._

_**She is putting her talent to use on you?**_

_Out of all the impossible explanations, that's the most likely..._

They left the hospital without further incident, and Jade left the wheelchair in the parking lot by her car, having not said anything on the way down.

"I'm not even going to ask how you manage that little trick right now, but I'd be very interested to hear about it sometime." Kyle struggled into the back of the car and winced at the bloodstains. "Ruined the upholstery, didn't I?"

Jade chuckled mirthlessly. "Yes, well, I wasn't too concerned at the time, and frankly, I'm not right now, either."

–

She drove them to an all-night convenience store and left the car idling while she went inside. Several minutes later she emerged with a bag in each hand and passed them to Kyle when she climbed in. "Definite plus to Japan. These stores sell _everything. _It makes 7-11 look downright puny."

In one bag were clothes, and in the other, a box of cereal, a carton of milk, and two bottles of lemon juice.

"Goody." Kyle picked up the cereal. "Good breakfast." He peeked into the clothing bag and smirked. "Hm. Nice lunch, too."

"I took a guess on the size, and bought everything a little big. Don't complain if it's baggy."

"You got me a belt, so you won't hear a word. That you got anything at all gives me cause to thank you for it. Where to now?"

"A hotel, I guess." Jade shrugged, changing lanes. The morning traffic was just starting to pick up. "Honestly, I still need sleep, and you should get some, too. And I'm not adverse to hitting you over the head if need be."

Kyle gave her a look. "I've had enough cranial damage for one catastrophic motorcycle crash, thank you. And it's just as well, because unless you want me to change here in the bloody backseat, we'll need a place I'm not conspicuous in a bathrobe and casts."

She snorted, but drove them to a small motel. After paying, she parked the car around the side and tossed him the room key. "I had to specifically ask for a room with two beds. Apparently, that's a strange thing to do here. You should have seen the look I got. Anyway, number 14. Go unlock the door," she said, unlocking her trunk. She removed the mat lining and stuffed it in the backseat, hiding the bloodstained upholstery. "We don't want them to freak and call the cops if someone happens to walk by."

Kyle was in no mood to argue with her. He grabbed the grocery bags and hooked them around his encased right arm as he limped his way to the room. Fortunately, there was no one else around to take notice of his robe or the massive casts. He rolled his eyes. _God... if we get caught now, we're gonna have one hell of a time explaining everything. I can just see THAT session in the interrogation room..._

_**As it is, the authorities will no doubt find you eventually.**_

_No doubt. And when they do, I'll still have a hell of a lot of explaining to do. Can't imagine that'll be pretty. What could I say to them?_

_**Identity theft.**_

Kyle snorted as he went into the room. _It's frightening that you, of all people, would come up with that excuse._ He set the groceries down on the dresser and went into the bathroom to change out of the robe.

Jade shut the door behind her when she came in, dropped the bag containing the duel disks on the floor, and flopped on the bed closest to the door. "Ughh... food, sleep, or casts off first?" she mumbled into the mattress.

"Depends. You hungry?"

Jade gave a loud and emphasized snore.

Kyle snorted. "Sleep first. We can eat later and I can deal with the casts for now."

"Sounds like a plan," Jade said, rolling over and kicking off her shoes in the general direction of the door. "Good night, Kyle. Good night, Theoris, since I assume he's still eavesdropping or whatever it is you two do."

Kyle smiled. "Theoris says he wishes you to have happy dreams." He flopped onto his own bed and forewent the covers; the room's temperature was quite comfortable as it was. "So do I. Night, Jade."

"Mmm" was the noncommittal reply.

–

After nearly half an hour, Kyle still found himself unable to sleep. He looked over at Jade's sleeping form. _She looks so peaceful. That's something I can't really imagine being these days. Even after the shield and all these good things happening to me – new friends, being able to take control of my own life – it feels like I'll never know peace or rest. And how dare I rest, anyway, when someone I care about is in such danger?_

_**Kyle... I believe that were she in your position, Monica would rest. Not because she believes it is just or it is fair, but because it is what must be done. It is the sensible choice, the logical choice. I do not believe Jade is as carefree as you seem to perceive her. No doubt she has her own troubles to contend with. But that she is able to sleep is a sign that, if nothing else, she knows what she is doing.**_

_I suppose so._ Kyle shifted around. _I wonder what made her such a cold person to strangers. I know she wasn't all that keen on talking to me when we first met... and even after that, it took a long time to get her to notice and respect me._

_**Are you sure you did not have even the slightest bit of respect and notice from her from the beginning, Kyle?**_

_What makes you think I would have?_

_**Her talent for avoiding sight. You have said it yourself. If she does not wish to be seen, she cannot be seen. And if she had never noticed you, why would she allow you to see her? Certainly not to simply pester her. That bears no purpose. No, Kyle, I believe she made note of you from the beginning.**_

_We may never know._ Kyle sighed. _So what do we do now?_

_**Now it is time for you to sleep, Kyle.**_

_Easier said than done. Any suggestions for how I can get there without being deathly afraid I won't wake up?_

_**Somehow I doubt a lullaby is what you are searching for.**_

_No, thank you._

_**Very well. A story, then? A writer should be able to appreciate a story.**_

Kyle scoffed lightly. _A bedtime story?_

_**If that is what you wish to call it. But this story is unlike any other. It is not simply told... it is shown.**_

_Oh?_ Kyle interest was piqued. _Something akin to the desert I was sent to, the night I met you?_

_**Something akin to that, yes.**_

_...okay, sure. Show me._

In his mind's eye, Kyle saw himself falling through a bright blue sky. He felt no fear from the fall, though; he'd fallen in dreams before. Besides, Theoris was taking him somewhere, and Theoris would never endanger him.

Below was the great capital city that had been Theoris' home. It was a magnificent city; no matter how many times Kyle saw it, it always took his breath away to see it again. There was the lush greenery, the great monuments of the Egyptian gods and the pharaohs, the people walking about the streets... it was beautiful, simply beautiful.

Kyle abruptly fell into the head – _the head? _– of a little boy, not older than seven or eight years old. The boy was alongside his mother, treading through a food market. No, treading wasn't the right word. He was _bouncing_ along, happy to be outside, happy to be here, happy to be _anywhere._ He was enjoying life. And he seemed very familiar.

"Come quickly, Theoris, we do not wish to miss the fig vendor! His kiosk will close soon." The mother smiled down at the boy.

The boy stared up at his mother in curiosity. "Close? But you can make him open it up again, yes? Just tell him who you are and what you want, and he should be happy that you would buy his foods."

The mother laughed, a pleasant noise in the assorted commotion of the crowds around them. "I am afraid my status alone would not cause him to extend his time of labor, my child."

"Oh." The boy blinked a couple times. "Then we had best get there fast!"

"Yes, indeed!" the mother laughed. "You run ahead and see that he waits for me, will you?"

"Yes, Mother!" The boy giggled and ran ahead, intent on finding the vendor, grasping him around the legs, tackling him if he needed to. Anything to make sure he didn't close his kiosk.

Time accelerated and melted the environment around them. Now the boy was under the roof of a modest home, and the sun was just passing beyond the horizon. He was happily chewing on a fig.

His mother came to him with a wet cloth, knelt down beside him, and took his left arm in her hand. She sighed, but she was smiling. "Theoris, you are far too zealous for your own good. You must watch your footing more closely!"

She wiped at a scrape on his arm. He bit down on the fig as she did so; she was always telling him to focus his pain on something more constructive than saying bad words or yelling out. He regarded her for a few moments. "When will Father return home?"

"Tonight, little love," she promised. "Your father will be home tonight." A wistful smile tinged her features. "I have missed him so."

"So have I," said the boy. "I want him to come back."

The mother gathered the boy up in her arms and hugged him to her chest. "He will, Theoris, he will. Do not worry."

And as the boy Theoris was wrapped up in the loving protection of his mother's arms... so was Kyle.

In the outside world, Kyle yawned slightly and curled up slightly on the bed. His thoughts were more sparse now, as he drifted ever closer to the twilight of peaceful sleep.

_Theoris?_

_**Yes?**_

_Did he come back?_

_**Yes, Kyle... he did. Our family was not together for long periods of time, but when we were together... we loved as no one else did.**_

_...I want that love..._

_**You have it, Kyle. The love of my family for me extends to you, as well. What is mine is yours, including the love I was given.**_

In the memory, Kyle found his comfort in the loving embrace of Theoris' mother.

Kyle's muscles relaxed, and his breathing regulated.

Moments later, he was sound asleep.


	4. Overhaul

_A/N: So today's my birthday, and I am no longer a teenager. And since I love to be contrary to orthodox routine, I'm going to give you, the readers, a gift – this chapter! I hope you enjoy as I continue to indulge in the writing of this saga, which has now obsessed me._

_Also! I'm given to understand that today is the birthday of Wingleader Sora Jade, a staple authoress – and a very talented one, too! – in the YGO fanfic-writing on this site. While I'm aware that she is not given to reading my work, I nevertheless want to give her a shout-out and say "Happy Birthday, WSJ!" Anyone here who's a fan of hers should do the same._

_Dragonking: Yup, I remember you as a fan of AAO. Glad you decided to check out some of my other work! I've put a lot into this, so it's good to see people who weren't interested in the genre before take some pleasure in my writing for it nonetheless._

_Penny: Actually, I was kinda tired the day I wrote that part, and I wanted the same thing. Besides, I figured with all the angst of the story, it might be nice to have a cute part in there somewhere._

_Monica: I trust I'm doing a good job with the suspense. As to the end of the chapter, like I said, the story needs some cuteness every once in a while._

* * *

Kyle awakened several hours later to the sound of the radio clock spouting off. His left leg felt warmer than his right one, and the same went for his arms; he attributed that to the unnecessary casts still around his extremities. _Jade said she knew how to get them off... here's hoping._

He reached across with his unrestricted left arm and tuned the radio clock to another channel – one that actually had someone speaking English. As luck would have it, they were providing announcements on the progress of the semi-finals for the Battle City tournament. He sat up in bed and rubbed absently at the formerly injured shoulder, and then the right side of his face, where he'd scraped it on the pavement. The wound there had healed, but his fingers could detect scarring there. He wondered how noticeable it was.

Jade was still asleep on the other bed. At some point during her slumber, she had migrated from on top of the coverlet to underneath it, leaving her jacket bunched up around her shoulders. She was turned towards him, avoiding the patch of light where the sun was beaming brightly through the window.

Kyle rolled his eyes at the light being cast on Jade's bed. _Typical hotel room curtains. They couldn't block out the sun even if it was nighttime._

He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and ambled toward the sink and mirror setup outside the bathroom. He turned the light on low and inspected the left side of his face. He grimaced slightly. _Yep, that left a mark._ The scarring was definitely noticeable; it pock-marked his cheek and temple. _Goody. More explaining. But the immediate concern is out of the way, anyway._

He sighed and made his way back to his bed. _I wonder what they have to say about the finals. Or my disappearance. Or anything at all._ He grabbed the remote control off the bedside table and flicked the television on. It was set on a news channel, but at that moment, there was a traffic report being made from a helicopter... and the television was blasting the noise of the gyros in a decibel range that could have opened garage doors all over Japan.

He winced and quickly turned it down. Turning, he realized that he hadn't quite been fast enough, however, because in the span of time it took for him to adjust the volume, Jade had bolted upright in the bed, looking around for the source of the commotion. Seeing the television on, she blinked, flopped back on the bed, and sighed. "Morning."

"Morning." Kyle decided not to point out that it was actually early afternoon. His stomach growled quietly. He blinked at it and then frowned. _Who asked you?_ Nevertheless, he looked back up at her. "Hungry?"

She yawned her way around a grin and nodded, tugging her jacket and shirt back down before getting out of bed. "Yeah. How are you feeling? What time is it?"

Kyle glanced at his watch. "2:15 p.m. And I'm doing... okay, I guess, considering my condition twelve hours ago." He ambled over to the mini-fridge where the groceries had been stored and got out the milk. "Ugh, but I'm starving. What say we eat something and then think?"

"Sounds like a plan," Jade agreed. "And we'll get your casts off while we're eating. Sorry you had to sleep with those things." She found plastic bowls and utensils in the cupboard and handed a set to him. "That's what the lemon juice is for."

"This sounds like a fun lesson to learn," Kyle smirked. He handed her the cereal box and the milk. "After you."

Jade fixed herself a bowl and poured the milk on it, then handed it back. "Really short version: full casts like those don't set fully for at least 24 hours. That's why they tell you not to get them wet. The lemon juice loosens the resin they coat casts with. Then you just have to stick your leg and arm in the shower for a few minutes, and the plaster will wash off, and then you should be able to pull apart the rest easily."

"It won't clog the drain, will it?" Kyle scoffed, his tone sarcastic. "The last thing I need is yet another agency mad at me."

Jade rolled her eyes, but continued eating.

He grinned. "I'm so glad you're warming up to me." He poured himself a bowl of cereal and was careful to douse all of it evenly with the milk – causing the floating cereal to rise dangerously above the bowl's rim – before eating.

"So. I bet this isn't how you thought you'd be spending the Battle City finals. Speaking of which, was there anything on the TV? How far along do you think they'd be by now?" Jade commented.

"I heard Kaiba won his duel, but they decided to pause so everyone could get some well-deserved rest. They were dueling all day and night." Kyle offered a wry grin. "Sounds like your kind of world, to me."

She grinned back at him. "It is. Kaiba had better hold another Battle City."

"Oh, if he doesn't, someone else will. These tournaments rake in serious money, I'm betting," he responded. "There's no 'if' to it at all. Only 'when'."

"That's true," Jade agreed. She ate quickly, then put her bowl on the night stand.

He quickly gulped the remainder of the milk from his otherwise empty bowl, then tapped at the cast on his arm. "Okay. Now for this."

She pointed towards the bathroom. "If you're in the shower, it won't make a mess." She said, picking up the bottles of lemon juice.

"Fair enough." He took the lemon juice and limped into the bathroom to take care of the cumbersome items.

About half an hour later, he came strolling back out, holding up in both hands the remainders of his thick casts in triumph. "Ha! I have slain the wild plaster beasts!" Then he adopted a confused expression. "Where the hell did that come from? I must be losing it."

With a remarkably straight face, Jade replied, "Theoris, quit channeling through Kyle."

Kyle gave her a look. "We're both quite amused."

"Yeah, any more amused and you'd probably throw the casts at my head or something." She scoffed. She was sitting cross-legged on her bed with her deck spread out in sections in front of her.

"Hnh." Kyle unceremoniously dropped the remains into the trash can and sat down on his bed. He surveyed her layout. "Reconfiguring your deck?"

"Mm-hmm," she agreed, laying out groups of three and four, combination cards. She picked up what was left of her deck and thumbed off the next five cards. Dian Keto, Gemini Elf, Dark Magic Ritual, Imperial Order, and Aqua Madoor. "Good," she murmured to herself.

"Have you always been partial to spellcasters?" he asked. "My preferences are always switching around."

"I've always liked spellcasters, but my deck wasn't always configured like this, no. Actually, I once put together a very efficient Wind-based deck. But I've had my spellcaster deck for a long time now. It's always come through for me," she responded.

He nodded. "And now that you have all three Brothers, I can't imagine you'd lose."

"I brought the cards needed to adapt the Brothers into my deck," Jade said, showing him a pair of Soul Exchanges, a Nightmare Steelcage, and three Ultimate Offerings. "Specifically meant to get the Brothers onto the field."

He nodded again. "They'll do you well." Then he glanced at some of the various cards still strewn about the bed – among them, a fusion monster card that he thought he recognized. He craned his neck to take a better look at it and then frowned. "Is that what I think it is?"

"Depends on what you think it is," Jade responded dryly.

"It sure looks to me like a Dark Paladin card."

"Two gold stars for you."

He blinked. "Have you been holding out on me all this time? Pretending you didn't know how many stars it had and all that?"

"I _didn't_ know how many stars it had at the time, because it was in my duel disk, which was in my car. Its fusion materials both have seven, and eight seemed a low number for such a powerful monster. Just because I didn't know doesn't mean I don't have one." Jade seemed content to leave the subject at that; then she nodded at her bag, where Kyle's deck and duel disk were. "We have to get you a new disk as soon as possible, since yours is ruined, and you'd better go through your deck and make sure it's still useable. What if these..." She avoided rolling her eyes, at least, but she couldn't put the incredulity out of her voice. "..._magicians_ come back and you get challenged again?"

"I'll be out of luck," he answered. "Unless we happen to find a convenient card vendor." He sighed. "Gimme a clue as to what cards were ruined? I'm guessing you tossed them out."

Nodding and grimacing faintly in remembrance, she promptly listed, "Morphing Jar #2, Unhappy Maiden, Kotodama, Aqua Madoor, Crass Clown, Monster Reborn, and a Trap Hole. If there was any way they could have been salvaged, I would have, but... " She trailed off as she gathered up the cards spread in front of her and put them back into her pocket. "The Trap Hole and Monster Reborn are easy enough, I have multiples of both. I know I've got an Unhappy Maiden and another Aqua Madoor, and I _might_ have a Morphing Jar, but you're out of luck on the Clown and Kotodama, because I know I haven't got either."

Kyle, despite feeling some disappointment over the loss of a couple of his better cards, sighed in relief. "Okay, good. I was afraid it might have been more. I'm not too worried about Clown and Kotodama, anyway. So I lose my Bickuribox fusion, but that's hardly the strongest monster in my fusion deck these days." He grinned grimly.

Jade rolled her eyes. "That's for sure," she agreed, standing. "I'm ready to go when you are. My deck chest is in the trunk of the car. Under the lining. I had to take out the spare tire." She chuckled. "But I didn't want to leave it in plain sight."

"Understandable." He got to his feet and stuck his hands in his pockets. "Once again, ladies first."

Jade picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder with a smirk.

--

Kyle was relatively quick in his venture. Once Jade parked, he made his way into the store, to the Duel Monsters specialties aisle, and then to the checkout aisle in record time. He received a couple of strange looks from adults who appeared to be less than interested in silly card games -- much less spending the kind of money required in order to get the duel disk.

However, his venture was blissfully without incident, and he returned to Jade's car with the box under his arm and a smile on his face. "One down, one to go."

She started the car again and pulled back onto the street. "Where to next, since I'm playing chauffeur?"

"Which I appreciate," he was quick to note. "A local card shop. Preferably one without an operating television, but whatever you can find will work just fine."

Jade emitted a few token grumbles about becoming a Japanese tour guide, but eventually located a game shop and parked. "I think I'll come in too," she said, unclasping her seatbelt.

Kyle glanced up at the building and noted its slightly strange shape. That shape had been brought out by green paint; the place looked, for all the world, like a giant turtle. The sign swinging over the door only served to confirm that this was what the owner had in mind.

"Turtle Game Shop"

The bell above the door jingled when they walked in. It wasn't a particularly large store, but it certainly carried it's share of Duel Monsters merchandise. Jade spied a glassed-in case and ambled over to look. "Oooh..." she said happily, "Kyle, look. These are the Gemini Trap cards."

Kyle inspected them a moment and whistled lowly. "Getting those is no small feat. Looks like this place could bring us some good karma."

Not quite pressing her nose to the glass, Jade replied, "I'd be happier with a bill of sale, actually."

"As would I."

Kyle glanced over at the counter, where a stout old man wearing a yellow bandanna was waiting. The old man yawned. "Welcome to the Turtle Game Shop. I take it you're both duelists?"

Kyle nodded and approached the counter. "That's right. My supply's kind of low at the moment, so I need some good options to choose from."

The old man – who Kyle took to be the owner – smiled and nodded. "Well, then, I think you'll find what you need here."

Kyle cocked his head. This man was speaking English almost flawlessly. _He must be well-traveled, or at least very learned in the languages._

_**Think not too long or too much on the matter, Kyle. You have more pressing business to attend to.**_

"What do you offer?" Kyle asked.

"Just about anything you could ask for," the stout elder responded. "I have single cards, booster packs of all series currently printing, boxes... even some unique cards." He held up a warning finger. "But those are not for money. They are for trade only."

Dragging herself away from the glass case, Jade joined Kyle at the counter.

Kyle shook his head. "Not looking to trade anything out of my deck at this point, thank you." He glanced meaningfully at Jade before turning back to the owner. "Just looking to buy."

The elder nodded and immediately set to work. In mere moments, Kyle and Jade found themselves confronted by a glass case full of rare cards of all kinds, as well as entire, unopened boxes of Duel Monsters cards, waiting to reveal their treasures.

Jade was browsing through the cards in the glass case when she made a surprised sound of delight. "Chaos Command Magician. Light, spellcaster/effect. 'Negate the effect of a Monster card that specifically designates this 1 card as a target.' 2400 attack, 1900 defense." Her eyes sparkled as she looked back up at the owner. "How much?"

The old man smiled and named a figure.

Jade continued to browse, leaving Kyle to search.

Kyle glanced through the single cards. "What are these Union monsters? They look new."

The old man nodded. "They are. They are meant to combine with other specific cards and unlock special powers within them. For example, this is part of one of the better Union combinations." He pulled out a normal monster card and held it out to Kyle. "Aitsu."

Kyle inspected it. And scoffed. "You've got to be kidding me. That thing makes Thousand-Eyes Idol look like a goody."

"Do not discount it so quickly, my friend. Here is its Union companion, Koitsu." The cashier held out another card.

Kyle scanned it. This one, unlike its Union partner, was an effect monster, and an effect so long-winded that Kyle could barely read the script because of the small-print font. The lack of contacts wasn't helping, either. He considered. "Well... okay... in combination, they have great potential, but they wouldn't last one turn by themselves."

From the other side of the store, Jade made another pleased sound and kept looking, oblivious to what was going on at the counter.

"Suit yourself," the owner said reasonably. "But do not discount them. They can be of use, provided you let them be of use."

"I'll keep that in mind," Kyle noted. "I'd like to take a look at your effect monsters."

The owner nodded. "Very well, just a moment. Feel free to look around, meantime; your friend seems to be enjoying herself. No reason you should not do the same, while you're here." He smiled before going to retrieve what Kyle had requested.

Kyle sauntered over next to Jade to inspect what she was ogling.

A flawless Dark Magician Girl was trapped away beneath the glass, much to Jade's annoyance. Next to it was a row of spellcaster-oriented magic and trap cards. Glancing up at Kyle's approach, she pointed them out. "Dark Magician Girl and Diffusion Wave-Motion. I don't have either. I hope I brought enough money." She grinned.

"So do I, 'cause I get the feeling you'd end up borrowing some of mine to make up the difference," he joked. He looked at Diffusion Wave-Motion and whistled at the effect. "Your Cosmo Queen could take out just about anything using that."

Jade made a sound amusingly similar to a purr. "I know." She waved the shop owner over. "I don't suppose I could get a deal if I bought all three, could I?"

The owner grinned. "They're all spellcaster oriented. As it so happens, I'm having a sale today on cards revolving around spellcasters... 40 off."

Jade beamed and dug out her money. "Did you find anything, Kyle?" she questioned.

Kyle noticed that the owner had placed a large folder on the counter – a folder full of effect monsters. "Well, the man says he's got just about everything, so there's bound to be something good in that folder. I'll do a little more looking, but I've got a pretty good idea of what I want."

Meanwhile, the owner circled around to his cash register and told Jade the extremely reasonable figure for the three-card set she was lusting after. "Is there anything else you'd like while here? I have a wide variety of spellcaster/effect monsters in that folder your friend is picking through. Even the most recent common spellcasters have useful effects."

"I don't think I brought enough money to buy all the cards I've seen here that I want, even with the sale. Do you happen to ship internationally?" she joked.

"I wish, but profits would find a drop-off in the shipping companies, I'm afraid," he said with a smile.

"Fine. I'll move here."

The owner guffawed. "Japan would be all the better for it, I'm sure."

Jade turned red, then caught sight of something. Hanging on the wall was a picture of a teenager, and beside it, another picture of a group of people. And some of them looked very familiar, especially to anyone who had been watching the news lately. "Hey, that's Yugi Motou, isn't it? Kyle, look."

Kyle glanced up from the card folder – he'd made several selections already – and blinked. "Yeah... yeah, it is." He looked at the owner, and suddenly noticed the purple eyes the man possessed for the first time. "Are you–?"

The owner held a finger to his lips. "I am nothing more than a simple businessman trying to make a living. I refuse to be known by someone else's merit. But I am very proud of my grandson."

"And you have every right to be," Jade added, nodding. "He's an amazing duelist. I'd love to duel him one day. Wow." She grinned. "What are the odds, huh?"

"Apparently they are not high enough." The owner offered her an easy smile. "You bought Dark Magician Girl. Do you share my grandson's fascination with the Dark Magician?"

From her deck, Jade promptly produced her blue Dark Magician and held it out for him to see. "Not just the Dark Magician. All spellcasters. It's my deck's theme."

Kyle had, meanwhile, gone back to looking through the folder of effect monsters. _Okay, so he's got that sale going. Should I take advantage of it and buy as many spellcasters as possible?_

_**I suggest you buy only what you feel would be appropriate for you and your deck. See that you retrieve useful cards, not simply the pretty ones. As he pointed out, even the common cards have their own uses.**_

_True._ He chewed his lower lip for a few moments before making his selections and pulling them out of the binder. The cards he chose were already encased in sleeves, as if having them inside a card binder wasn't enough protection.

Perhaps the owner was tuned in to Kyle's emotions, or perhaps he was simply a good businessman – and the latter was likely true in any event – but he kindly interrupted his small talk with Jade and turned his attention on Kyle. "You've got your choices, have you?" He looked through the cards. "Ah, very good. These will serve you well. Would you like to see anything else?"

"Yeah, your magic and trap cards, please."

"Of course." The owner went to fetch another folder.

Kyle offered Jade a slight smile as he showed her the cards he'd chosen – several of them were spellcasters. "Good cards," he said, in his defense.

"And a nice discount on them, too," she replied, perfectly straight-faced. She couldn't maintain the pretense for more than a second, though, and she snickered.

"Score," he said, conjuring a deadpan to rival hers.

The owner returned a moment later with a card binder chock full of all the magic and trap cards either Kyle or Jade could want. Kyle was careful in his selection, but he was also quick in it. _We can't stick around here too long. I've got a job to do._ He tossed several cards in with the others he'd already chosen. "All that together, and... oh, hell, Koitsu and Aitsu, too, please."

The owner chuckled. "Figuring out the benefits already, are we?"

"I may yet have a use for them," Kyle remarked.

"Of course." The owner's answer and expression were sober. He named the figure, which Kyle quickly handed over. "A pleasure doing business with you."

Kyle glanced at Jade, the lightheartedness in his gaze now gone. "Shall we?"

Jade gave one longing glance around the store, but nodded. "It was a pleasure to meet you, sir," she said to the elder man. "Tell your grandson I wish him good luck in the finals."

The owner nodded. "He will need it. I wish you both luck, as well."

Kyle trudged over to the car and climbed into the passenger seat, inspecting his new cards as he did so.

"Koitsu and Aitsu, hm?" Jade remarked, her tone humored. "And you were calling them useless cards moments before." She started the car and pulled away from the Game Shop.

Kyle thought about it for a few moments, spying the card. The monster on it looked like a faceless clay figurine standing on a paper airplane, with its hand cupped to its ear. "Kinda like me, I guess. You have to make a sacrifice for someone who doesn't have nearly the power he ought to... some faceless character, trying to hear his companion. And yeah, ultimately useless without his partner."

_**Stop that, Kyle.**_

"...Yeah, whatever Theoris just said."

Kyle frowned, but Jade intercepted his next question. "And no, I can't hear him, but your forehead just wrinkled up, so I know he said something."

Kyle sighed and slumped back in the seat. "Felt like we were having entirely too much fun in that shop. Here we are, gathering Duel Monsters cards of our pleasure, and she's still being held hostage. Now I'm starting to get scared I'll _dither_ her straight out of my mind."

"Where are these magicians, then?" Jade asked briskly. "Where is Monica? Where are they holding her? When will they come after you, and where will they do it? Will they make you duel again? Lots of questions. Here, let me help you out. To my understanding, you don't know." She took her eyes off the road long enough to fix him with a glare, her attitude taking an abrupt 180 from what it had been in the game shop. "If you're going to drown yourself in pity, do it on your own time."

_I'm not DROWNING in pity..._

_**Kyle, pay attention. She is teaching you a valuable lesson. My mother always taught me to do something constructive with my anger. It is now your turn to do the same.**_

Kyle silently harrumphed. _Fine, then I'll make sure these new cards get their chance._ He picked up the as-yet unopened duel disk box and removed the disk. Somehow it seemed slightly smaller, but he supposed that was just his eyes playing tricks on him. He pulled out his deck and looked through it, then carefully began the process of upgrading – first trimming a few cards out, then adding a few cards back, subtracting and adding. After a few minutes of upgrading in silence, he sighed. "I'm sorry, Jade. I just... really want to help her."

Jade's countenance had softened by now, her attention more on the road than on him. "It's okay, Kyle," she reassured him. A crease formed in her brow. "Did you buy Koitsu, as well?"

"Yeah. They were both common, and both useless by themselves. No point in not having the entire package."

"Then think of it this way," she tried. "Maybe you're Aitsu. Maybe you, like the card says, are unreliable without your partner. But if so... then I'd say your companion, your Koitsu, is Theoris."

Kyle blinked. "What?"

She shrugged. "Why not? From what you've told me and from what I've heard, until he came along, you were an asshole, just waiting for your chance to get yours. Now you're bonded together. A union, of sorts. And just maybe you've got more strength in each other than you give either yourself or him credit for."

Kyle thought on that for several moments. _Wow. That analogy actually works._

_**Indeed, it does. Jade is quite insightful.**_

_Yes, she is._

She rocked her head to one side. "Just don't fool yourself into thinking you're not trying your damnedest to help Monica, Kyle. Because you are. It's coming off you like heat from a fire."

He nodded. "Good. Because if you can feel it, chances are they can, too." His expression was grim, but his eyes shone with anticipation. He slipped his deck into the disk; it audibly _click_ed into place. "Let them come."


	5. Reminders of the Past

_A/N: So it's now been a month since I moved out, and I'm surviving "the college experience". Of course, my parents would debate that I'm not having "the college experience" yet, but to tell you the truth, I'm not really interested in getting hammered and high, nor do I feel like joining a fraternity (I hear the two are related...). I just want to make my own decisions and do well in school. Is that too much to ask?! ...Ahem. Anyway. New chapter for you, get ready for something big._

_Monica: There has to be a token of insanity, I think, for a story to keep its allure. Maybe the word you're looking for is "validation"?_

_Wolf: I like the analogy; it seems pretty accurate to me, because the eye is about to pass them by in this chapter._

_Dragonking: You're very perceptive! Regarding the duel disk, one might figure KaibaCorp would always be upgrading their technology, especially after the tournament. More money for Kaiba if you have to pay more for a newer version. As to Jade... well, we all have our secrets!_

* * *

After several minutes of driving and silent brooding, Kyle glanced at Jade. "Can we stop somewhere with a payphone? I just realized I have to do something I really don't want to, and there's no point in putting it off anymore." 

"Sure..." she answered, and began looking for a payphone. She found one on a corner and pulled up beside it.

"Thanks." Kyle unbuckled his seat belt and began to climb out, then offered her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to shoo you away, but this is something I really need to deal with on my own."

Jade nodded. "Don't worry about it. We passed a park back about a block. I'll go there, and you can join me there after you're done, if that's what you're planning to do?"

"Perfect," he answered, climbing the rest of the way out. "I appreciate it."

She pulled away and circled back, parking on a small strip of gravel. Perhaps "park" was too grand a term for the little plaza with trees and a central statue, but it was empty and quiet, so she got out of the car and ambled over to one of the two benches to sit.

Amidst the sound of birds chirping, leaves rustling, and the occasional vehicle passing by, there was the slow, steady step on the pavement a little way behind her. It wasn't a loud step, but it wasn't exactly a quiet one, either; it could be heard about halfway across the plaza. Whoever was walking must have had a pair of boots on.

The walker approached the bench where Jade sat, and the steady step slowed, then stopped.

She'd been sitting with her eyes closed, enjoying the brief sensation of doing nothing, but when the sound of footsteps fell quiet, Jade half-turned and craned her neck to see who had halted behind her. For a moment, the face didn't register, and she had trouble believing her own eyes. When she blinked rapidly and the face did not change, she all but leapt off the bench.

His hands were stuffed casually in his pockets, and the breeze was ruffling his hair the slightest bit. He tried to offer her a smile. "No book? I'm surprised. You always had one."

Unconsciously her hand went to her pocket where she kept her deck, before she replied, "I'm here for other reasons. What... what... why are you here?" she demanded, shaking her head.

"I work internationally these days," he answered. "Wherever I have to go, I go. Like previous jobs, only much more wide-ranging. But I suppose that wasn't what you meant."

His response gave her time to compose herself. "No, Cameron, it's _not_ what I meant," she snapped.

He cringed at the whip that was her voice. "I'm sorry, Jade... I know I'm about the last person you want to see right now. I don't blame you for that, believe me. I know I hurt you, and I'm sorry. I just wanted to give you your cards back."

He held up a handful of glinting cards – all rare, all precious, all valuable to the game of Duel Monsters. "I have every one of them. Every last one. Well... maybe not the ones you had before, but... I want you to have them. I know you told me you have copies of them already, but I want you to have them anyway."

Jade gave a mirthless laugh. "Oh, is _this_ your apology? Your paper and ink peace offering for what happened? No thanks... I meant what I said when I didn't want them, not from you." She held up her duel disk. "I'm doing just fine, thank you. So if you followed me here for that, you've wasted your time."

He silently held her gaze for several moments. Then he said, "I don't expect you to forgive me. I never did."

She almost snapped out a response of "good" but bit it back. Instead, keeping her voice as neutral as possible, asked, "Quit dodging the question. Why are you here?"

"Because I was told to give something else to you." He stuck the rejected cards back into his pocket and traded them for a slip of paper. "And despite what you think of me, I hope you'll take it, because I've no idea what it is or what you have to do with it."

He tapped the paper with his thumb; underneath his thumb was some sort of symbol. "I was told you'd know what this means and who it's really for." He offered it to her.

For a moment, she just looked at him, an expression of _Are you serious?_ on her face. When he continued to watch her steadily, with the piece of paper still held out, she asked, "Who's it from?"

He shrugged. "Some geezer with serious fashion issues. Had a scraggly beard and was wearing a robe, of all things, in broad daylight."

Jade went cold all over. "Did you say a robe?"

"Yeah. This big, heavy, dark blue deal."

She took the paper from him. "Where was he? Where did he give this to you, and what did he say?"

"He was at that corner." Cameron pointed to a spot just outside a retail store on the other side of the street. "I was passing by that store right there and was thinking about trying to find you when he came and grabbed my arm and told me to give that paper to the girl sitting on the bench in the park." He frowned at the folded slip. "What's that eye symbol? What's it mean?"

Jade looked down at the symbol, having not paid any attention to it before. It was round, and he was right, it did look like an eye. _It looks familiar, _she thought,_ I've seen this symbol before. Where?_

Gleaming gold, shining, staring at her, surrounded by gems and seeming to glow despite the fact it was just a trinket..._ This is the same symbol as the one on Kyle's shield._

She frowned deeply, looking back up at Cameron. "I don't know."

"Do you at least know who it's for? That guy was creeping me out." Cameron shuddered. "I asked him why I should do it and he said, 'You will know her by the cards you carry.' I've had those cards with me everywhere I went... then I saw you here, and..." He sighed. "I won't go into that. Who's it for, do you know?"

"I guess it's for me," Jade lied, shrugging, but her next sentence was made in honest concern. "If you see that guy again, or anybody in a weird robe, do me a favor and stay away from them, okay? They sound like real creeps, you know?"

"If you say so," he answered, nodding once. Then he half-turned. "Again... I'm sorry... and I'll leave you alone from now on."

He walked off.

_That was... weird_, Jade thought, shaking her head slowly. Once Cameron had disappeared, she turned her attention to the note. Prying a finger under the edge, she cracked the wax seal – _wax? who would still use wax?_ – and opened it.

_Kyle McCraine:  
  
As is now evident to us all, your continued existence is proving to be a very large thorn in our sides. If you had simply died as you should have, this battle would be over by now. As it is now, we still hold your female friend captive, but the longer you exist as a threat to us, the shorter her lifespan becomes. We imagine, however, that you tire of our continued threats whose results have evidently been ineffective thus far. That will change as of now. You are hereby instructed to meet with our servants beyond the abandoned business complex formerly owned by the now-defunct Yakuo Corporation. There, you will duel and wager your Millennium Shield and the components of your deck. Failure to comply with these instructions will result in the most grisly and untimely death of your female friend._

"Great," she muttered. "Just great. You guys are real bastards, you know that?" She addressed the note viciously.

"You figured that out, huh?"

Kyle was approaching her. His face was tear-stained, his eyes bloodshot; apparently the phone call hadn't gone over at all well. He rubbed at his eyes. "The Eye of Horus is on that paper, so I'm assuming it's for me. And if you're talking about bastards, it's from them, right?"

Jade felt incredibly guilty as she handed the note to him. _He's been through enough, why don't they just all give it up?_

He looked over the note for several moments, his brow furrowing as his eyes moved lower. Then he looked back up at her – and crumpled the paper in his hand. "They're right. I _am_ getting tired of it."

She wisely decided not to mention who had delivered the note unless he outright asked. Instead, she questioned, "Then you're going to meet them like they want?"

He shook his head despairingly. "I don't seem to have much choice, now. And I've got no idea how the hell I can have my cake and eat it, too, now."

"You're just going to give them your shield? And your deck?"

"I'd give them my deck with my blessing if it meant I could keep the shield," he said seriously. "But notice they want me to duel for it. That's the only method by which they can actually acquire it, if I don't give it to them outright – they have to win a duel against me."

She frowned. "Why a duel?"

"Tradition. Duel Monsters is based on a game played in ancient Egypt. It's too long to go into now, but the long and the short of it is this: a duel is the method by which one acquires and increases his power. In this case, the Millennium Shield."

"Then what are you going to do?"

He sighed. "Start believing in miracles. Because I need one right about now. I have absolutely no clue how I can get out of this. But it's going to almost have to be one way or the other."

Then, suddenly, Kyle frowned, as if an idea was occurring to him. The pendant glimmered, and he idly wondered if Jade was picking up on it.

"What now?" she asked, seeing the frown.

For several seconds, he didn't answer, leaving her to wonder if he'd actually heard her or not. Before she could ask again, though, he spoke. "There... may be a way. But it's dangerous."

"This from the guy who dueled from his motorcycle down the highway at racing speed." She frowned wryly. "Your definition of 'dangerous' is enough to kill most people."

"The highest risk would be to myself," he said. "If I can manage it, and if Monica's in that building, the odds might be in my favor." Seeing Jade's incredulous look, he gave her a wry look of his own. "More magic."

Jade sighed.

"I know, I know." His shoulders slumped. "Theoris seems to think I can use the shield's powers to make it something akin to a magical magnet. If the magicians tried to use their powers on something or someone, it would all come straight at me instead."

"Okay. Bear with me since I seem to be very un-magically informed here, but I'm seeing some problems with this. First of all, if you're attracting all this dangerous magic, won't they know about it? What if they decide to just pull out a gun and start shooting or something like that?"

"Yeah, they'll know, but they can't do anything about it, since the shield can block their attacks. As to guns, they don't like using modern technology," he answered. "They consider it akin to melee combat. They think it's vulgar."

"Oh. Well. Now I'm reassured."

"I'm not looking for your approval, if that's what you're wondering," he said, exasperated. "But if you can think of anything better for me to do, I'd love some suggestions. My only other option is to envelop the complex in the Shadow Realm, and that _would _tax me to my limit. And it wouldn't be any more of a guarantee that she'd get out safely."

_...I'm not even going to ask. Anything called 'Shadow Realm' should best be left alone. _"It has nothing to do with approval, Kyle, I just..." She paused for a moment. "I just don't want to see anyone hurt. Except maybe them."

He pursed his lips and nodded. "I know what you mean. But as you've already seen, I'm willing to do whatever needs to be done, short of handing over the shield, to make sure she gets out of there safe and unharmed. If I have to get hurt to do it, so be it."

He fingered the shrunken shield a moment. "It happened once, with Chubs. It can't ever... _ever... _happen again."

"... Okay." She sighed. "Okay."

He looked at her, and his expression softened. "I'm sorry you got caught up in all this, I really am. There's one more favor I need to ask you... after that I won't ask anything else of you."

"What's that?"

"Take me there?"

"I saw that one coming," she said wryly, turning towards the car. "Get in."

He nodded and obeyed.

Jade had to stop and ask directions, because she had no idea where the note was directing them, but eventually, they located it in a quiet section of town. It had obviously once been a rather sizeable complex, but time, disuse, and demolition teams had whittled it down to just a couple of decrepit three-story buildings linked by a stout, round lobby in the center. Half the windows were broken out; most of the others had splinters and holes from kids throwing rocks at them in their spare time.

Kyle got out and tried to smile at Jade. "There's no way I can really adequately say 'thank you' for all that you've done. I can't ask anything else of you, so I won't."

She looked up at the building... it looked eerie even in the daylight. "I know I'm pretty out of my league here, Kyle, but if there's anything I can do..."

He shook his head. "You've done more than enough." He glanced toward the massive double-doors that marked the front of the building, where two people wearing duel disks were patiently waiting. "I guess it's time for me to face the music... not that even I would stand a chance against two good duelists at once. I can only hope they're not good."

"They wouldn't make you duel two against one, would they?" she said, taken aback.

He looked at her. "Remember, the shield can only be won in a duel, which is probably why they have two duelists out there. They figured out they can't beat me one at a time. The duel on the road was a fluke because it was already so dangerous."

She glowered and got out of the car, slamming her door behind her.

He got out and chased after her. "No, you don't! I don't want you involved."

She later realized she would have looked like a nattering housewife, but she put her hands on her hips and glared at him. "And what if I don't care?"

"Jade, please. You could get hurt."

"So could you, you said so yourself."

He sighed. "Are you sure about this?"

"As sure as you are."

He closed his eyes and bowed his head. "...All right. All right, fine. But be careful, okay?"

She nodded. "I will."

"Then we've got a deal." He turned toward the building. "Right. Here we go."

He strode toward the building and the duelists with purpose, his Millennium Shield extending to full size and moving to his right arm as he did so. In moving closer, Kyle could start to make them both out. His jaw might have dropped at the sight yesterday, but surprises had now become few and far between.

Both were duelists; that much was obvious by the duel disks mounted on their arms. One was a duelist Kyle vaguely recognized, though he couldn't think of a name to attach to the face. The other, though, was very much familiar to him.

It was Abigail Madison.

Her arms were crossed and her entire aura exuded condescension. Her eyes were narrowed at both him and Jade... though curiously, somewhat more at Jade than Kyle. He attributed that to his arrival with a companion, rather than alone.

He snorted. _Alone. Yeah, right. Not gonna do that._

_**You are never alone, Kyle.**_

Kyle glanced at Jade – and to his surprise, she was giving the other duelist a look of shock and anger. Her brow creased and her green eyes burned furiously. "So much for taking my advice on staying away from them," she ground out.

"Staying away from who?" the duelist asked in surprise. "The robed guy? Last I checked, she's not robed."

"What's all this?" Madison scoffed. "Robes? I don't see any here. All I see are a pair of duelists, only one of whom really has anything of interest."

"That either of you are both here generates some interest in itself," Jade shot back. "What business could you possibly have with Kyle?" She shoved a finger in the stranger's direction. "And with _him_, of all people."

Madison _tsk_ed at Jade. "I'm well-aware of your past relationship, but for now, let's put old disputes behind us, shall we? I certainly have." She looked back at Kyle. "This is business, Mr. McCraine, nothing more. Simply give us that lovely trinket you're carrying there and we'll be on our way. Our employers inform us that they have something of a much more personal value to you if you do so."

"There's really only one way to settle it, and that's through a duel."

Both Madison and the other duelist gave him looks of incredulity. Finally, the other duelist smirked. "Come on. This is a serious situation, and you want to settle it by a card game?"

Kyle offered a wry smirk. "I doubt that either of you could beat me."

"Dear me, Mr. McCraine, you are simply begging for a rematch, aren't you?" Madison sniffed. "Is that all the defiance you can muster? A challenge to play a game?"

"Hey, I'm just doing what the note I was sent told me to do. Anyway, this isn't just any game, it's a game with high stakes. I'll hand the shield over no questions asked if you win. If I win, you get the shield. Either way, I want your employers to hold up to their end of the deal. I want the girl back and I'm not leaving here without her."

Madison seemed to stare into space for a moment, then chewed her lip slightly and offered a single nod. "Very well, if that's the way you want it... that's the way it'll be. But of course, you won't be dueling just one of us."

She looked over to the other duelist. "If ever there was a time I needed you here, my boy, it's right now."

He pursed his lips at her in response. "Just this once. No more, afterward. We go our separate ways. I don't want anything more to do with Madison Enterprises. No surprises and no favors. Aunt or no aunt, I'm finished with you."

"Very well. All I ask is your help."

The second duelist offered a single, grim nod and then stepped forward, holding his left arm up, his duel disk ready for activation.

Kyle and Jade said the same thing at virtually the same instant. "Aunt?"

Madison tittered. "My, my..." Her gaze landed on Jade. "For someone with a reputation for gathering information, you certainly don't seem to have researched your former lover very well, now have you?"

Kyle's eyes widened to saucer-like proportions; first at Madison, and then at Jade. The former looked positively amused at the turn the conversation had taken, while the latter looked ready to either implode or explode; Kyle had never seen Jade so flustered. _Former lover?! Does Madison mean to say someone actually penetrated that thick wall?_

_**Why are you so surprised, Kyle? You have noted it previously, Jade is many things, but above all, she is human.**_

"Very well," Madison continued, "now let's get on with our business, already. Two-on-  
one."

"Two-on-two," Jade corrected, holding up her duel disk. "Fair's fair."

Madison offered Jade a glare of annoyance, then harrumphed. "Then in that case, we'll have to lay down some ground rules." She began tapping the controls of her duel disk, supposedly entering in said guidelines. "Since there are teams of two duelists, it's only fair that together we stand, or together we fall. Therefore, all Life Point damage will be divided between each duelist on a team. If one suffers, so will the other. Likewise, Life Point gains – as unlikely as they may be on your part..." Madison smirked. "...will also be divided between both duelists."

_Fine by me_, Kyle thought, _because she's not likely to forget what my Kiseitai can do. And then..._ He shot a significant look at Jade. _...there's also Jade's Solemn Wishes to think about._ Jade also seemed to have struck on that thought, because a small smirk was playing across her features.

"Everyone starts with four thousand Life Points," Madison continued, "and no player will be allowed to attack on the first turn. Sacrifice rules apply, of course. And fusion monsters may attack during the turn in which they were summoned." Madison looked around the square everyone had now formed. "Ladies and gentlemen, draw off the top of your deck until you get a monster. Highest level determines who goes first."

Jade ended up drawing four cards before acquiring her first monster, which she held up for Madison's inspection. "Dark Magician Girl," she said, "level 6."

Madison sniffed as she drew her first monster. "Which my level 7 Levia-Dragon easily beats."

Meanwhile, Kyle held up his own monster. "Magician of Faith, level 1."

The stranger's smirk was evident all around. "Spirit Reaper, level 3."

Madison looked satisfied. "Well, then, Cameron, are we ready to get underway?"

"Just start the duel already," the duelist called Cameron grumbled. "Your overtures are a waste of time."

"I'll take that as a yes," Madison responded, her voice having not lost its bounce. "Shuffle your decks and get ready for a duel of the titans."


	6. Quad of Shadows I

_A/N: So people are asking who Kyle called; he was contacting Chubs' mom. Yeah. Think there might be a reason for them to cry? I think so. Moving on, we have a new and incredibly complex duel ahead. All my love and thanks to Ankhutenshi, whose invaluable help and opinions contributed greatly to this duel, despite our combined foggy thinking and bleary eyes. Not gonna forget that hotel room anytime soon. I wonder if we left any paper scraps there. Okay, enjoy the next chapter, everyone!_

_Wolf: Easier to stick with BC rules if every player starts with 4000 LP. RE: Cameron -- I defer to Ankhutenshi for that, as Jade and Cameron are both her characters. Enjoy the duel!_

_Dragonking: Honestly, I hadn't put all that much thought into Kyle's new disk. Just a smaller and more convenient size. Your remarks about the magicians are valid; yeah, they're that afraid of the Shadow Realm. Most people who know about it have reason to; it's sort of like Hell. Except you can come back. As for the Shield, it was supposed to be destroyed, but Theoris interfered with that, and then a long series of events following that brings us to this chapter -- which I hope you'll enjoy._

_Lumen: Good to see you back! I'm glad you've been enjoying the fic. It's kinda hard keeping the suspense up! Good to know I'm managing. All AP and Honors classes? And I thought I was smart... good luck on those! They'll do you good._

_Monica: Glad you're having fun with it. And intrigue is important to a fic, I think... especially one in the genres of suspense and angst!_

_Penny: Yup, duel coming. Duel's here, in fact. I hope you like it! Thanks for the kudos!_

* * *

Kyle's and Jade's LP – 4000 / 4000 

Madison's and Cameron's LP – 4000 / 4000

–

Everyone collectively drew their opening hands of five cards. Madison drew her sixth and then smirked as she began the game. "I'll place two cards face-down and follow up with one monster in defense mode. Over to you, my dear."

Jade scowled as she drew her sixth card. "I'm not your _dear_, thank you. Two cards face-down and one monster in defense. End turn."

Cameron drew, gave a single glance to Jade, and then muttered, "Some things have rubbed off, apparently. I'll also place two cards face-down and a defending monster. Next?"

Kyle raised his eyebrow as he drew. _I'd give a lot to know what the deal is between those two._

_**Undoubtedly, it is something Jade would rather not share.**_

_Undoubtedly._ "Let's stir things up a bit," Kyle said. "I place one magic/trap face-down, and then play Mechanicalchaser (1850/800) in attack mode. That wraps things up for now."

"Well, well, Mr. McCraine, you're getting bold right off the bat," Madison said, drawing.

"No point in cowering."

"Don't mistake a defense for a lack of a plan. With that said, I'll put another monster on the field in defense mode and finish my turn."

All eyes were on Jade as she made her next move. "I place another card face-down," she said, "and then reveal my face-down Maha Vailo (1550/1400) and put him in attack mode." Her blue-robed sorcerer took position on the field near Mechanicalchaser. Jade's steely eyes flickered towards Cameron's field. "Maha Vailo, attack Cameron's face-down monster!"

The yellow flash of light accompanying her spellcaster's attack augmented the grim smile on Cameron's face as the energy bolt speared his monster. "Destroying my Morphing Jar (700/600) has its price, you know."

Even though no one actually said anything aloud, there was much incoherent grumbling to be heard as everyone discarded their hands and drew five new cards. _Lost Slate Warrior and Kiseitai to that_, Kyle groused. _I sure hope Jade wasn't so unlucky with her own cards._

Jade didn't offer an outward expression of any kind, but simply an icy, "End turn."

Cameron drew his next card, and smiled again. "Good deal. I play Pot of Greed, for a couple extra options."

As soon as the greenish pot hologram appeared on the field, Jade's hand was on her duel disk. "Activate Solemn Wishes!" she responded, and her Solemn Wishes trap appeared. Along with it came an attractive young woman running her fingers through random airborne sparkles.

Kyle inwardly pumped his fist in victory. _We need that, too._

Cameron, for his part, merely offered a slightly raised eyebrow as he drew two new cards without further interruption. "Now I play The Shallow Grave. Everyone gets to pick a monster from their graveyard and special summon it face-down."

_Oh, good._ Kyle took a moment to decide between the two monsters in his graveyard. _Slate Warrior_, he finally decided. _If I can flip it to attack mode next turn, I've got a low-level monster with 2400 attack points._

The only one who didn't add a new monster to the field was Madison; she apparently hadn't lost any monsters to Morphing Jar's effect. Jade, Cameron, and Kyle all placed their chosen monsters on the field, ready to give them a second shot.

"Next," Cameron said, "I'll put one monster in defense mode, and then remove Morphing Jar from the game in order to special summon Gigantes (1900/1300) in attack mode."

The announced monster wore grayish stone armor and had bronzed skin, outlined with bony ridges and a spiked horn atop its head. Cameron glanced between the two fields, then pointed to Kyle's. "Gigantes, attack his face-down monster."

The Rock-Type creature lunged forward and brought a huge club to bear on Kyle's defensive Slate Warrior (1900/400), whose shattering was a teeth-grinding noise. Nevertheless, Kyle offered a smirk to Cam. "You're aware that Slate Warrior's effect makes your monster lose 500 attack points when it's destroyed, aren't you?"

"I am," Cam confirmed, "but you're not going to attack Gigantes, because when it's destroyed in battle, all magic and trap cards on the field are instantly destroyed." He looked around the field. "I count eight. That would make a pretty big boom, wouldn't you agree?" He grinned. "I don't know about you, but this is turning out to be pretty fun. Your turn."

Kyle drew, and then made use of the drawn card. "That eight's going to turn into a seven. I play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy the face-down card on Madison's left."

Madison was, to say the least, not pleased to see her Just Desserts trap blown apart. "I have other methods of taking your Life Points to zero, Mr. McCraine."

"Oh, really? Let's see just how well you can do. Mechanicalchaser, destroy the last monster she put on her field."

Mechanicalchaser stabbed its underside javelin into Madison's face-down, causing her Yomi Ship (700/1400) to splinter and fall apart.

A moment later, Mechanicalchaser exploded.

"Whenever Yomi Ship is attacked, it destroys its attacker," Madison remarked. "I believe that was the last monster on your field, Mr. McCraine, which means you're now wide open."

"It won't stay that way. End turn."

Madison drew her next card and snickered. "One doesn't get much better timing than this. I play the ritual card Turtle Oath, which I believe you're familiar with... and I'll discard my level 4 Guardian Kay'est from my hand, and send my level 4 Island Turtle to the grave, in order to summon Crab Turtle (2550/2500) in attack mode."

Kyle recalled the monster from their last duel. _More powerful than Suijin, and easier to bring out... but not impossible to beat._

"Crab Turtle, attack his Life Points directly!"

"Not so fast," Kyle answered, his hand shooting to his disk. "Activate Enchanted Javelin!" A sideways glance to Jade clued him into a slight sigh of relief – he wondered if she had anything that could have blocked the attack.

The familiar jewel-encrusted spear shot through Crab Turtle as the creature bore down on Kyle. For a moment, his and Jade's Life Points each rose to 5275 – _Right... the split Life Points _– but then fell back down to 4000 as a giant pincer swung down at him and pushed him back. He winced, but held his ground.

"That finishes my turn," Madison noted.

Jade drew her next card accordingly. The Solemn Wishes girl, meantime, threw a haze of sparkles in Jade's direction; in response, her and Kyle's Life Points rose to 4250. A small grin touched her lips. "First, I'll play Pot of Greed. That gets me two cards and another 500 Life Points." After drawing her next two cards, she reached to her monster field. "Then I'll flip my Magician of Faith (300/400) face-up, and recall a magic card from my graveyard... and then replay Pot of Greed, for yet another two cards and 500 Life Points."

"How monotonous," Madison sniffed. Cameron offered no comment.

Jade pointedly ignored the remark. "Then I play Soul of the Pure, which gains another 800 Life Points for us. What was that you said about unlikely Life Point gains?" she asked sweetly, as their Life Points each shot up to 5150.

Madison merely scoffed in response.

"I thought so. Next, I sacrifice Magician of Faith and Maha Vailo to play Cosmo Queen (2900/2450) in attack mode."

_That's been a staple in virtually every duel I've ever had with Jade_, Kyle noted.

"Cosmo Queen, it looks like Crab Turtle demands an audience with you," Jade grinned. "Show it all your courtesy?"

In response, the massive queen looked to Crab Turtle, then raised her hands and brought them together in a prayer spoken in an incoherent tongue. A sphere of energy appeared above her and then bolted into Crab Turtle, which shattered into a million pieces. Madison and Cameron's Life Points descended to 3775 apiece.

Madison growled. "Activate Dust Tornado to destroy your Solemn Wishes card!" Accordingly, a sweeping funnel cloud caught Solemn Wishes up and whisked her away. Kyle could almost hear an unhappy howl as the holographic magic completed its work.

Jade gave Madison a sour look, but then announced, "End turn."

Cameron drew his next card, then flipped up his two face-down monsters. "I switch my Soul-Absorbing Bone Towers (400/1500) to attack mode. As long as other Zombie-Type monsters are on my field, these monsters can't be attacked, and since they're both Zombies, their effects apply to each other. A rather convenient circle."

Cameron's Bone Towers rose up on both sides of his field, framing his area of influence. They were, quite simply, high-soaring towers made of the bones of many creatures... most notably, of humans. "Next, I place one monster face-down and then switch Gigantes to defense mode. That's the end of my turn."

Kyle drew, raising his eyebrow at Gigantes. _He's building up his field quite nicely... probably because Jade and I are ignoring him and focusing on Madison. If he sneaks something in under the radar, we might not be able to defend ourselves._ "I place two cards face-down and end my turn."

"No monster?" Madison shook her head in mock disappointment as she drew. "A shame, Mr. McCraine." She looked over her hand. "I play Tribe-Infecting Virus (1600/1000) in attack mode. As I'm sure you recall, by discarding one card from my hand I can instantly eliminate an entire type of monster from the field."

She looked over at Jade with a glare of contempt. "And since that Cosmo Queen is becoming such an eyesore, I discard Gagagigo from my hand to destroy all Spellcaster-Types."

A purple cloud of pure bacteria floated across to Jade's field and consumed Cosmo Queen, who emitted a piercing shriek as she vanished underneath the haze. When the cloud dispersed, Jade's monster did not reappear from beneath.

"It would be such a shame to let up now, don't you think?" Madison smirked at Jade. "Tribe-Infecting Virus, attack her Life Points!"

"You have to start something before you can let up," Jade informed Madison crisply, "but you haven't yet. Activate Waboku."

The protective wall dispersed the haze of Tribe-Infecting Virus. Madison huffed. "The hour is later than you might think. I end my turn."

Drawing her next card, Jade set it on the field. "Perfect. I summon Skilled White Magician (1700/1900) in attack mode. Next, I equip two Malevolent Nuzzlers and an Axe of Despair, for a total of 2400 extra attack points."

Madison touched an activation button on her duel disk. "Sorry to disappoint, but your power boost isn't going to be quite enough, after I take away part of it. Activate Magic Drain on your Axe of Despair."

"The only disappointment is that I'm learning Abigail Madison isn't the duelist she claims herself to be. No wonder you didn't want me at your tournament. Winning your Sujiin would have been easy – but I guess you found that out anyway. I'll discard Diffusion Wave-Motion to take the cost of your Magic Drain."

Skilled White Magician's stats accordingly rose to 4100/1900, and Jade continued, "And I attack your Tribe-Infecting Virus."

Jade's Skilled White Magician raised the Axe of Despair in its hand, and the blade glowed a blazing white as the two Malevolent Nuzzlers reared behind the attack. The axe was hurled at the hazy cloud – which was obliterated instantaneously. Madison and Cameron's Life Points descended to 2525.

Madison scowled. "Are you quite finished?"

Jade appeared satisfied. "Wouldn't want to throw too much at you at once. End of my turn."

Cameron drew his next card and rolled his eyes at the banter. "Women." He inspected the drawn card, but seemed content to leave it in his hand. "I flip Des Lacooda (500/600) into attack mode."

Next to his Gigantes, a mummified camel wavered into existence. Kyle raised an eyebrow at it. "Not the most attractive monster I've ever seen..."

"But effective, nonetheless," Cameron noted, "because when it's flipped into attack mode, I get to draw a card." He did just that. "And it gets even better; Des Lacooda is able to be flipped back into face-down defense in the same turn. So basically, as long as it's here, I can draw two cards every turn."

His monster vanished back under its holographic card, which had now turned face-down.

"I think that'll finish up my turn," he said.

"Then that makes it my turn," Kyle remarked, drawing his next card. "And just to make sure dear Mrs. Madison isn't disappointed, I'll place a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

"My disappointment in you is eternal, Mr. McCraine," Madison snorted, "since you are merely a bumbling has-been."

"A bumbling has-been who doesn't have to worry about what that Skilled White Magician over there is going to do to me," Kyle added. "It's your turn. So what're you gonna do about it?"

Madison made a sour face and then announced, "I place one monster face-down. That finishes my turn."

Jade drew her next card, then looked up and announced, "Skilled White Magician attacks the face-down you just played."

Another bolt of light shot across the field and blasted Madison's monster – a comparatively weak 7-Colored Fish (1800/800).

"End turn," Jade said.

Cameron drew, humming to himself. "I think I'm being ignored. Par for the course. I flip Des Lacooda face-up once again to draw another card, and then turn it face-down once more. And then I place three cards face-down to end my turn."

_He's got a full field of magic/trap cards and nearly a full field of monsters_, Kyle thought as he drew. _He's got something in mind._

_**If you can reduce Madison's Life Points to zero, it will not matter what he has on his field.**_

_But I might not be able to take her down if he has ways of blocking me. We have to balance this out somehow._

_**Focus on one thing at a time, Kyle. Madison has a clear field.**_

_She does, at that._ "I sacrifice my Giant Soldier of Stone (1300/2000) for Millennium Golem (2000/2200) in attack mode," Kyle announced.

One Rock-Type gave way to another, and Kyle's Millennium Golem rose up over his monster field. "Millennium Golem, attack Madison's Life Points."

The giant stone creature responded by stomping loudly across the field and pounding a huge fist in Madison's direction. The fist went unhindered, and Kyle could almost hear the older woman's growl of frustration as Golem's attack was split between her Life Points and Cameron's, bringing them down to 1525 apiece.

"And that makes it your turn," said Kyle.

Madison pursed her lips as she drew. "I place another monster face-down and end my turn," she curtly informed the players.

Jade pulled the next card from the top of her deck. "At the risk of sounding repetitive, Skilled White Magician attacks your face-down monster," she said, directing her eyes to Madison's field.

Her magician's third attack destroyed Madison's Amphibious Bugroth MK-3 (1500/1300) with ease.

"End turn."

Cameron drew, narrowing his eyes at Jade's magician. "Gonna have to do something about that," he said, "but first, I flip Des Lacooda to attack mode to draw another card... and then flip it face-down again." He inspected the new card for a moment, then slipped it onto his magic/trap field. "I play Dark Core, and discard Bottomless Trap Hole for its cost, to remove Skilled White Magician from the field and the game."

A spherical void appeared above Skilled White Magician, and the monster was drawn into it a moment later. The Malevolent Nuzzlers equipped to the mage both let out squawks of indignation before vanishing, whereas the Axe of Despair clattered to the ground before fading.

Jade, for her part, didn't look particularly concerned as far as the safety of their Life Points was concerned. Perhaps slightly annoyed that her monster was now no more, but other than that, she remained aloof.

"That finishes up my turn," Cameron announced.

Kyle drew. "I place one monster in defense mode," he said. "Millennium Golem, show Cameron's latest face-down how it's done."

_**Why did you not attack Madison? She obviously could not avoid the attack last turn and she has not placed any new cards on her magic/trap field since then.**_

_Because Cameron's getting ready to do something big, and he's got that look that says he'd much prefer his field be ignored until then._

Golem's fist rained down on Cameron's face-down monster, to reveal his Sangan (1000/600) just before its destruction.

"Much obliged," Cameron remarked, flipping through his deck to choose an appropriate monster for Sangan's effect.

"Don't mention it," Kyle muttered. "My turn's finished."

"Good," said Madison, "because I was getting tired of waiting through everyone's blustering." She drew. "And I'm also getting tired of that Golem of yours, Mr. McCraine, so I'll equip Paralyzing Potion to it, which prevents it from attacking anything."

Golem became surrounded by a greenish aura. Kyle shrugged. "No big deal, I'll just get rid of it for something better."

"Undoubtedly," Madison sniffed. "That finishes my turn."

Jade drew her next card. "I think I'll play it safe for now, and place one card face-down, along with one monster," she said. "End turn."

After drawing, Cameron remarked, "I'm surprised so few attacks have flown my way. But then again, no one wants to lose their magic and trap cards by Gigantes' effect, I suppose, which is understandable. I flip Des Lacooda face-up for another card, and then face-down again." Then he grinned. "I was waiting for this. I sacrifice Gigantes to summon Great Dezard (1900/2300) in attack mode."

Gigantes emitted a roar as it vanished; in its place arose a white-robed spellcaster with a fierce visage and a severe look upon it. Kyle frowned. _A spellcaster? In a Zombie deck? He's up to something._

"Great Dezard, attack Jade's monster."

A purplish bolt of energy speared across the field and struck Jade's face-down card – Witch of the Black Forest (1100/1200).

Jade offered Cameron a devilish smirk as she discarded her Witch and chose the monster for its effect. Meanwhile, Great Dezard became shrouded in a glowing white aura. Kyle glanced at Cameron in askance.

"When Great Dezard destroys one monster in battle, he becomes immune to the effects of all magic and trap cards that target specific monsters." Cameron grinned. "When he destroys two, he can summon Fushioh Richie, one of the most powerful Duel Monsters known. And summoning Fushioh Richie is exactly what I mean to do in just one more turn."

"What makes this Fushioh Richie monster so scary?" Kyle snorted.

"Because with it, he can summon any Zombie-Type monster from his graveyard every turn," Jade said quietly. "Like Des Lacooda, it can flip up and down in the same turn, it's at least as strong as any of the Labyrinth Brothers, and only a Blue-Eyes or better can get past its defense."

"How do you know?"

"Because I gave him Great Dezard."

"What?"

"It made summoning my most powerful monster possible," Cameron noted, "since that's the only way it can come out. But for now, my turn's finished, so make the most of yours."

"I will, at that," Kyle said, as he drew. "I sacrifice Millennium Golem and my face-down Wall of Illusion to bring out Tri-Horned Dragon (2850/2350) in attack mode!"

But just as Kyle's dragon began to appear on the field, Cameron called out, "Activate Adhesion Trap Hole!"

Tri-Horned Dragon suddenly seemed to fall halfway into the ground around it, which had now become a sinkhole filled with purplish fluid that stuck to the monster.

Kyle's eyes widened as he watched Tri-Horned Dragon's attack points begin to fall.

And then there was a great flash of light.

The last thing he saw was the ground rushing up to him. And the last thing he heard was Theoris.

_**Kyle!**_

–

Nobody entirely knew or understood what happened at first. The first thing everyone thought was that Kyle had passed out, or perhaps fainted from the tension of seeing something bad happen to his best monster. That might have been sympathized with, at least from Jade's perspective, since everything was on the line for him and the last thing he needed was for something to go wrong with his strategy. But at the same time, she knew he was stronger than that... he'd seen worse things happen.

Madison and Cameron were both blinking in surprise at Kyle's fall on his face. It might have been amusing for the first couple of seconds, but he wasn't getting up.

Jade stared at her fallen teammate for a moment; when he didn't rise, she ran over to his side and shook his shoulder. "Kyle! Wake up!" she said, the irony of this situation not escaping her. _At least his leg isn't shattered this time..._

A robed man was standing a bit of a distance behind Kyle and Jade, his hand held up as if in warding. There was a white glow around the hand, much like the aura Cameron's Great Dezard possessed.

Jade twisted around at the sight of the robed man. "What did you do?" she demanded.

"Only what was necessary," the magician rasped. "He was too close to destroying our plans."

"Plans?!" Jade exclaimed. "We're not even finished dueling yet and already you're convinced your employees are going to lose? What confidence!" She rounded on Cameron. "Like I said, so much for listening to me! You stopped doing that a long time ago, didn't you?"

"I'm not working for them, I'm working for my aunt," he replied, a scowl aimed at the magician. "It's the last thing I'll ever have to do for her."

Jade looked back down at Kyle and shook his shoulder again. "Kyle! I need you to wake up, I can't do this by myself."

Kyle remained still. His back slowly rose up and down; he was definitely still alive, but also definitely down for the count. But just as Jade was about to give up on waking him, she struck upon something. It was a far-fetched idea, but still... _It's the best one I've got._ "Theoris... are you in there?"

A deep, raspy breath greeted her, followed by a voice that didn't belong to Kyle. **"Yes..."**

"I need your help. I may be good, and these two may not be, but I can't duel both of them alone."

"Theoris!" The magician's tone was one of shock, and the glow around his hand intensified, ready to strike at both of Madison and Cameron's opponents.

The Millennium Shield glowed a blazing gold.

And in response, the arena created by the duelists began to lose the light cast upon it.

The noises of the world around them faded, gave way to crackling thunder and the occasional distant scream.

A dark haze that nothing could seem to penetrate consumed the field. Jade looked up toward the magician; she saw his expression of wonder. He seemed to be growing more and more distant. Yet he clearly wasn't moving. It was as if they were moving away from him, but that wasn't possible either...

Was it?

"**You are not alone."**

Kyle's head slowly rose from the ground and turned to face Jade. The Eye of Horus was once again upon his forehead, and his pupils were glowing. **"I shall help you."**

Cameron and Madison were looking around the hazy area with wide eyes. "What's going on here?" Cameron spluttered. "What is this?"

"**This?"** Theoris slowly rose to his feet, Jade holding one of his arms. **"This is a shroud of darkness, which shall protect all of us from such cowardly attacks as the one just now inflicted. It shall lift when this duel is complete."**

Jade released his arm and began rubbing her exposed upper arms, letting a slight shiver take her. "It's cold..."

"**Darkness always is."** Theoris raised his voice for Madison and Cameron to hear. **"Know this, duelists. This battle has become a Shadow Game. The creatures you summon, the magic you utilize, and the traps you employ are all entirely real in this place, as is the danger you face."**

"What sort of meaningless babble is this?" Madison scoffed.

"**You shall find meaning in it should you lose the battle, for those who fail will succumb to a tormented sleep filled with their greatest nightmares."**

"You expect us to believe in magic? You're a foolish sort of prankster."

"**Call me a liar if that is your wish. However, your nephew does not seem inclined to do the same."**

"Eh?" Madison turned to Cameron – who was approaching his Great Dezard with one finger extended, as if to poke it.

The finger bounced against the spellcaster's cloak. And Great Dezard turned to face Cameron.

It grunted.

A look of disbelief was on Cameron's face. He seemed unwilling to say much else; he was still looking around the dark haze, trying to avoid staring at Theoris' glowing eyes and forehead. Madison simply sniffed in response. "Your scare tactics won't work here, so make your move and be done with it, Mr. McCraine."

Theoris didn't respond to Madison's assumption that he was still Kyle, but instead looked to Jade.

In spite of herself, Jade found herself exchanging a smirk with him. She asked offhandedly, "Do you think they have any clue what they're getting into?"

"**As a mutual friend of ours might say... 'Less chance than frozen water in the underworld.'"**


	7. Dying to Live I

_A/N: You were expecting the next segment of the Quad of Shadows duel, weren't you? Surprise! You get a different chapter entirely. Enjoy._

_Wolf: One can't really expect Theoris to understand all the English idioms... after all, he's Egyptian. But glad you noticed that part._

_Chibigreen: I hope so. Gotta keep the suspense up._

_Eusine: Not trapped, really, but Theoris has set it up so the losers are, at the least, KO'ed. And I'd say Theoris' skills would mirror Kyle's own, since they both learned the game at the same time – and Theoris knows everything Kyle does. Hopefully he'll make it interesting for you._

_Penny: Hmm, sounds like paradise. But since this isn't Everworld, I guess it's gonna have to stay hot. And I think you're gonna have to stay out of the loop, for the moment – sorry!__

* * *

__The shriek of metal against pavement. The uncomfortable sensation of the horse bucking underneath. The wind flapping around them. The sudden yanking on the horse's reins as they stopped on the road._

_The light. The sight of Kyle, lying in an ever-widening pool of his own blood. Not breathing, eyes closed, face unspeakably pale. The sound of the old man's voice as he claimed that Kyle's heart had stopped beating._

_That Kyle was–_

The first thing she became aware of was the sensation of someone shaking her shoulder.

The second thing she became aware of was that she was being awakened.

The third thing she became aware of was a massive crick in her neck, and another one in the small of her back.

She cursed mentally. _That's what comes of making me sit down all this time, you bastards! Of course I'm going to fall asleep!_

"Wake up," someone hissed in her ear. Or at least, it was as close to her ear as he could get, considering the hood that had been tied over her head.

That hood was abruptly pulled away from her face, and for the first time, she was allowed to see her new surroundings. It seemed that she was inside some sort of building complex; the place looked almost like a hollowed-out mini-mall or courthouse. They were on one side of a massive, lobby-like room which apparently constituted the center of the building.

Monica's eyes wildly took in as much of the setting as she could. _I need to remember all this, I need to seize it all while I can._ Her head twisted this way and that, and she looked desperately for an exit, some way she just might be able to escape if they ever had the inclination to untie her again.

There were several exits... but all were blocked by other men in the strange blue robes. One in particular seemed to be catching their interest, though, and she craned her head to look in that same direction.

There seemed to be a purplish cloud pressing against one of the exits.

She frowned. _What the hell is that?_

Her shoulder was again shaken, and she looked up at the offender. Unlike the other men, this one seemed rather youthful and was clean-shaven. She frowned at this. _I thought they were all old..._

The young man stared into her eyes for a moment. "I have a proposal for you. Are you willing to listen?"

Her eyes narrowed. _What kind of proposal? How can he expect me to answer when I'm gagged?_ Nevertheless, she nodded once.

"Kyle McCraine fights for your freedom even now," he said. "It has become clear to us that he will do whatever he feels he must do in order to ensure your safe return... except give us what we want. Because of him, the ranks of our clan grow ever thinner."

He pointed at the clouded exit. "Just beyond those doors, he stands poised to destroy two more of us. And we fear he will destroy us all."

_Kyle's alive?! And he's fighting for me?! Kyle, get in here and blow all these creeps away... it's no more than they deserve!_ she thought bitterly.

"We wish to avoid this. Even the wisest of us acknowledges that we cannot hide behind a pretense of safety, not even with our own duelists standing against the bearer of the Millennium Shield."

_The what?_

"This leads me to my proposal." The man knelt in front of Monica. "I wish to challenge you to a duel."

She frowned. _What?_

"I am one of the very few of our order who is a duelist. It is through this medium that I wish to battle you. Should you win, you shall be allowed to go free. However, if I should win, then your life remains at our mercy."

She grunted into her gag. "Mmph. Mmmph." _Would you let me talk?!_

He took the hint and reached around, untying the knot that held the cloth tightly inside her mouth. "What shall be your answer?"

"Kyle's alive?" she asked, ignoring the challenge.

"He is," the man answered shortly, "and he stands beyond those doors. Your answer?"

"Why now?" she asked. "And why the sudden opportunity? I don't understand."

"We believe in creating our own fates," said the man. "I believe that now is the time I must create mine. And my fate hinges on your defeat. The fates of us all depend on this."

"That's one hell of a rite of passage. What if I say no?"

"Then your life is forfeit to us, and we will waste no time in depriving you of it. My people would kill you now if I were not standing here, offering this proposal."

"Why would you want to kill me? This is all some ploy to get something from Kyle?"

The man crossed his arms. "The time for this is long past. I have challenged you to a duel. Your answer?"

"I don't have my deck," she said, scowling. "Kyle must have gotten it, that'd explain the Blue-Eyes I saw–"

"Your Duel Monsters deck, sans the Blue-Eyes White Dragon cards, is safe in our care," the man said. "We distributed the Blue-Eyes White Dragons to other duelists to use against Kyle McCraine... those duelists failed in their mission, and he now has the set."

Her scowl deepened. "It's bad enough that Kyle got his hands on my Blue-Eyes, but _you_ had to go picking through my deck?! You're lucky you tied me up before giving me that news!"

"Be still," the man ordered, "or I will retract my offer permanently. You have the chance for freedom, provided you can defeat me in a duel. This is my – as you so quaintly put it – 'rite of passage'. It is how I shall know whether I stand a chance against Kyle McCraine, should I be forced to face him."

"I'm a tougher opponent than Kyle ever will be," she asserted. "He's a good duelist, but I'm better. Always have been. And meanwhile here you are, challenging _me._ Quite the deus ex machina. You sure you want to duel someone who's better than him?"

"I am aware that you are a challenge. If I defeat you, I most assuredly will be able to defeat him." The man smirked. "But I charge that your playing field is a little more level, as it were. You no longer have the Blue-Eyes White Dragons. And somehow, without them, I doubt you would be nearly the duelist you claim you are. I would think that you are more of an equal for Kyle McCraine, rather than the 'superior' you claim to be."

She growled. "Are you _trying_ to push my buttons, here?"

"Of course. It is a challenge, after all. Your acceptance will be met with your release from this chair, your deck, a duel disk, and my word that if you defeat me, you shall be set free. Think of it." He leered. "You shall be able to fight a duel in the Battle City tradition after all. Without the Blue-Eyes White Dragons, it is futile, of course... but you shall have this opportunity, nonetheless."

She ground her teeth. _That's right... they made me miss the tournament because of a beef they've had with _Kyle_ all along. And now this nitwit is saying I can't duel without my Blue-Eyes cards. Oh, he'll pay for that._ "Then untie me and give me my deck and a duel disk, because I'm taking up your challenge here and now."

The man smirked again. "Very well." He snapped his fingers theatrically.

The ropes around Monica's wrists and ankles spontaneously dropped off, as though there were no knots to hold them in place anymore.

She frowned and stared up at him, even as she got to her feet. "How did you do that?"

"I am an apprentice to magicians," he responded. "I am taught to perform such simple tasks."

Monica narrowed her eyes. _Your hocus-pocus doesn't scare me._ "A 'Look, Mom, no hands!' deal?"

"As you like."

She crossed her arms. "What's keeping me from running off right now?"

"My elders block every exit and they are more powerful than I. You would simply find yourself in the chair again. Besides, you accepted the challenge, and to that you must hold by your honor as a duelist."

"Some duelists don't have any honor. And I certainly don't have much pride where going back on my word is concerned if it means I can get away from you lunatics."

"I have given you my word. If you win, you shall be set free."

"Your word doesn't mean much to me."

"Nor yours to me." The man took a few steps backward, where one of his comrades was waiting with two duel disks. He took both, then stepped forward again and offered one to Monica. "However, our word is all we have to go on in this place. I will honor mine if you will honor yours."

Monica frowned. _There's no reason I should trust him. These people kidnapped me and they're threatening to kill me even now. Would they really let me off so easily over one simple Duel Monsters game? What the hell is going on here? Why Duel Monsters, of all games? Because it's popular? Some hidden meaning going on?_

She finally sighed and took the proffered disk. _It doesn't matter now, I guess. This guy doesn't want to answer any more questions, he just wants to duel. This is my game. And I'll make sure I win at it._ She slipped the disk over her left arm and activated the automatic straps; they locked securely around her arm.

She glanced back up at her opponent. "My deck?"

He pulled a deck of Duel Monsters cards out of a hidden pocket on his robe and handed it to her. "Peruse it all you like; the only cards removed were the Blue-Eyes White Dragons."

She looked through her cards for several moments, then looked up and glared. "And my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, too."

"What use have you for it when no other cards in your deck can help you summon it?"

"Does Kyle have it?"

"He does."

She breathed a slight sigh of relief as she continued to go through her cards. _I'd just as soon it was him. At least he knows how to treat rare cards. But how did he survive that crash? Was the old man lying when he said Kyle's heart wasn't beating? Did someone find him and get him help? It must have been that... but if so, how could he have healed that quickly?_

_Has he even healed at all?_

She shuddered. _Too many questions. Focus._ She finished looking through her cards. _At least he was right about one thing – nothing else was taken out. Not even the Paladins of White Dragon._ She snorted. _Like they'll help me now. But they might be good for something._ She slipped the deck into the appropriate slot on the duel disk, which was surprisingly light, considering what advanced technology lay within.

"Since this is not a tournament duel, we shall not be bound by the restrictions on fusion monsters," the mage declared. "Fusion monsters here shall be granted the right to attack on the turn in which they are summoned. Beyond that, we shall operate by the sacrifice rules of Battle City."

"Fine by me," she said. _That's what I prepared my deck for, anyway._

The opposing duelist took stance on the other side of the lobby and launched his disk's holoprojectors. After several moments of fumbling with her own disk, Monica did the same, and the two main segments of her disk's field snapped together.

She drew her first five cards, but didn't look at them. "Which of us goes first?"

"I challenged you, so you may choose which of us shall take the first turn," her opponent replied.

"Fine, then I'll go first."

"As you wish."

Monica looked at the cards and bit her lip. _No, no, this won't do at all. Maybe number six will have more luck._ She drew her sixth card and grinned smugly. _Ha. Now that will do nicely._

"First I place three cards face-down," she announced, and three gigantic Duel Monsters cards appeared in face-down position about half a meter in front of her feet. She grinned at the holograms. "Cool. Next, I discard Thunder Dragon (1600/1500) from my hand."

"And what good does it do you to rid yourself of a monster?" the apprentice asked.

"What, you don't know Thunder Dragon's effect? Well, let me help you out, then," she sneered. "When I discard a Thunder Dragon from my hand to the graveyard, its special effect activates, allowing me to get up to two more Thunder Dragons from my deck and put them into my hand. Like so." She plucked her deck out of the deck slot of her disk and thumbed through her cards until she found the other two Thunder Dragons the deck possessed.

"Thunder Dragon is a level 5 monster," the mage noted. "To summon it, you shall need to sacrifice a monster from your field."

"Whoever said I was going to summon high-level monsters that weak? I don't play that game." She stuck a fourth magic/trap card into an appropriate slot, and hit the corresponding activation button. "I'm fusing them. I play Polymerization to fuse my two remaining Thunder Dragons out of my hand."

A pair of green dragons with yellow lightning crackling around them appeared on the field for a moment. Their forms twisted around each other and blended; the result was a massive pink creature with two razor-toothed mouths, standing on a pair of thin but powerful legs. Blue static snapped across its form.

"Say hello to Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon (2800/2100) in attack mode," Monica said cheerfully. "He'd love nothing more than to take a couple bites out of your Life Points, but since I'm not allowed to attack until you get a chance to defend yourself, I'll have to end my turn there."

The mage frowned, which only caused Monica's grin to widen. _Already I've got the advantage. There's not a single level 4 or lower monster in existence with a defense rating that high._

Her opponent drew and made his move considerably swifter than Monica had. "I place one card face-down and one monster in defense mode, and that shall end my turn. My Life Points are safe, for the moment."

"That's what _you_ think." She grinned. "I play Lord of Dragons (1200/1100) in attack mode."

"I was under the impression you loathed weak monsters," the mage answered.

"Hardly. I loathe weak _high-level_ monsters. Doesn't everyone? No, I don't hate 'weak' monsters if they have an effect that comes in especially handy; this one's effect, case in point. With Lord of D. in play, you can't target any of my dragons with monster effects, magic cards, or trap cards." She smirked in triumph and continued her move. "Next, I play the magic card Different Dimension Capsule, which allows me to select any one card from my deck and place it in my hand two turns after Capsule's activation. And you'll find out what that is, soon enough."

"I'm sure," the blue-robed opponent scoffed.

"For now," she continued, as though he hadn't spoken, "I think I'll go on the offensive. Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon, attack his defensive monster!"

A spear of lightning flew across the lobby and stabbed through the face-down monster card, which flipped over to reveal Rogue Doll (1600/1000).

"How pathetic," Monica sniffed. "And now your Life Points are wide open. Lord of D., attack his Life Points!"

"Activate trap card, Spellbinding Circle!" the apprentice responded. He smiled grimly. "While your _dragons_ may not be affected by cards requiring a target, your Lord of Dragons is a spellcaster, and thus powerless against the various obstacles I have to offer. And while he is pinned by the Circle, he cannot attack, and cannot even change battle positions, which means your Life Points, in some respects, are just as 'wide open' as mine."

She harrumphed in annoyance. "I know the limits of my own monsters, thank you. That'll end my turn."

"Very good." The mage drew his next card. "I shall place one monster in defense mode and end my turn."

Monica drew, then ordered, "Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon, attack his face-down monster!"

Another bolt of electricity wreathed around the mage's defending Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer (1800/700). As it smoldered into nothingness, Monica glared. "A defense like that is no defense at all. You should have been a lot more careful when choosing your deck."

"This deck was built for me," the mage answered shortly.

"Obviously its creators were relying on your ability to attack. I hope Kyle's having as easy a time mopping the floor with your flunkies as I am with you. End turn."

The apprentice was quick with his turn. "I place one card face-down and one monster in defense mode. It is now your move."

"Yes, it is." Monica drew her next card, then smirked at her opponent. "Remember Different Dimension Capsule over here?" She pointed at the face-up representation on her holographic field. "Its effect activates now. And for your information, you don't have to know what card I'm choosing." She removed her deck from its slot again and picked out the card she wanted. "Now I'll play Spear Dragon (1900/0) in attack mode."

Alongside her Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon and trapped Lord of D., there appeared a blue-winged dragon that looked as though it had been bred by a pterodactyl and a swordfish.

"Spear Dragon has an effect, too." She smirked. "If it destroys your monster, it deals Life Point damage even if your monster is in defense mode. The only downside is that it goes to defense mode after it attacks. But with you scrambling to get on the defensive, I doubt if that's something I'm going to have to worry about. Spear Dragon, attack his face-down monster!"

"You shall not see what my monster is this turn," the mage announced, "because I shall activate the trap card Negate Attack, thus halting all of your attacks for this turn."

She scoffed. "Fine by me, that means Spear Dragon stays in attack mode. I'll end my turn there."

The apprentice was again swift about his turn. "I shall place one monster in defense mode and end my turn."

"Your defenses bore me!" Monica snapped as she drew. "It's becoming pretty evident you don't have anything that can stop me. No wonder you didn't want to duel me before now!" She harrumphed and perused her hand. "Doesn't matter, I guess, because you're going down anyway. I play Luster Dragon #1 (1900/1600) in attack mode!"

A sparkling dragon covered in blue crystals appeared on Monica's field and roared at the mage duelist.

Monica turned to another of her dragons, however. "Spear Dragon, attack the monster he played last turn!"

The long-nosed creature lunged forth and stabbed at the face-down card, but stumbled back with recoil. The opponent smiled. "You'll have to do better than that to destroy my Mystical Elf (800/2000). And your Spear Dragon is forced into defense mode due to its attack."

Monica frowned as her Life Points scrolled down to 3900. "Fine, so it'll take a bigger gun. Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon, attack Mystical Elf!"

A spear of electricity impaled the delicate, blue-skinned elf and obliterated her where she stood. Monica huffed in satisfaction. "The end result is pretty much the same. Now, Luster Dragon, attack his remaining monster!"

Luster Dragon flew screamer-style at the last defense on the mage duelist's field and slashed its way through a Witch's Apprentice (550/500).

"Pitiful," she snorted. "Absolutely pitiful. If you're going to have a deck of spellcasters, fine, but make it a _good_ deck."

"This deck has many good cards in it, that I can assure you," the duelist answered. "They simply are not being forthcoming."

She scoffed. "You have a mind to make your own fate but you didn't make your own deck. There's a mixed message here. But at the end of this duel, I'm not going to be the one who remains a slave to this crazed 'order' of yours. My turn's finished, and this game's damned close to the same fate."

The opposing duelist drew his next card and smiled grimly at Monica. "Perhaps it is. But you shall not be the victor."

"You've got no monsters on your field and you can't use magic or trap cards to target my dragons. You're all talk."

"Not when I play this card." He slipped the card he'd just drawn into one of his magic/trap slots, then pressed the activation button. "I activate Raigeki!"

Monica's eyes widened. _No! That destroys every monster on my field, and Lord of D. can't stop it because it doesn't target anything!_

She watched helplessly as her Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon, Spear Dragon, Luster Dragon, and Lord of D. were obliterated by blasts of lightning far greater than anything Twin-  
Headed had conjured.

"And now I shall summon Versago the Destroyer (1100/900) in attack mode!" he declared, slapping a monster face-up on his duel disk. On the field, a humanoid creature wrapped in a grid of green iron bands appeared.

"Versago, attack her Life Points directly!"

A myriad of the broad iron cables whipped around Versago and lashed out towards Monica. She cried out as she was thrown back and to the floor.

"Thus begins your fall and my ascension to victory," the opponent uttered.


	8. Dying to Live II

_A/N: Well, it's about time I updated with another chapter. So have at this one!_

_Ankhutenshi: Probably game face, Monica doesn't buy into "magic" just yet and she certainly doesn't easily buy into the possibility of losing._

_Monica: Glad you're excited, and I think everyone's waited long enough, don't you?_

_Wolf: You make the same point Monica noted earlier. Here's another one for ya!_

* * *

Monica's LP - 2800

Mage Duelist's LP - 4000

--

Monica struggled back to her feet and rubbed her leg – which had banged painfully against the floor – for a moment. _Damn. He's starting to come back._ She stared her opponent down. "I'm not out yet," she said. "I activate the trap card Jar of Greed, which lets me draw one card and increase my chances of taking you out."

"You shall need all the chances you can get," her opponent noted. "My turn ends here."

She glanced at her LP counter. _2800. And he's still at 4000. He just got lucky on that one. This no-talent duelist has a lot to learn._ She drew her next card and sighed. _This hand isn't going to do me much good as is, so..._ "I place one card face-down and then play Card Destruction," she announced.

The mage duelist glared at her. "You have forced me to discard Thousand Knives, Red Dark Magician, and Soul Exchange."

"And meanwhile, I lose Barrel Dragon and a Flute of Summoning Dragon," Monica replied. "But hey, better luck this time around, huh?" She drew two new cards and frowned as she considered what he'd discarded. _A deck geared towards Dark Magician, huh? These guys sure love their spellcasters. But Versago is a fiend-type, not a spellcaster. Fusion material for just about any fusion you please, but what spellcaster fusions–?_

_Oh. Of course. Dark Paladin. The worst news for dragons since Buster Blader._ She glared across the field at her opponent. _Great, just what I needed. I'd better take Versago out real quick. If he's got other Dark Magicians and a Polymerization in there somewhere, I'm REALLY screwed._

She glanced back at her cards. _These aren't much better than my last ones. I'd prefer something that could take it back to him right now, but they'll have to do for the moment._ "I place one more card face-down and end my turn."

"No more dragons to bring forth?" he sneered, as he drew. "Very well. I summon Dark Elf (2000/800) in attack mode!"

"Not so fast," said Monica. "Activate Trap Hole!"

A crag opened up beneath the feet of the elf that had just appeared, and she fell screaming into it. The mage narrowed his eyes at Monica. "Very well, then I shall simply use one monster to destroy you instead of two. I play the magic card Premature Burial and sacrifice 800 of my Life Points to summon Red Dark Magician (2500/2100) from the graveyard!"

A glowing red circle appeared on the floor, in the center of which was a gaping black hole. The maroon-armored Dark Magician rose out of the hole, hovered over it, and stared contemptuously at Monica, his arms crossed defiantly, his staff at the ready in one hand.

Monica wanted to cross her fingers. _Please, please, please do not let there be a Polymerization in his hand... at least, not until I can destroy Versago, Magician, or Burial..._ She glanced at the Burial card, which had become equipped to the Dark Magician. _At least the Dark Magician's fate is tied to you. If I can destroy you, he goes down, too._

"Dark Magician, attack her Life Points directly!"

She breathed a slight sigh of relief. _Whew, no Poly. Now I can adequately protect myself._ She pressed a magic/trap activator. "Activate trap card Call of the Haunted!"

Her opponent glared at her. "Thus allowing you to summon one of your own monsters from the grave."

"Exactly. And in this case, I summon Barrel Dragon (2600/2200) in attack mode!"

The sound of gears grinding and metal rending gave way to the appearance of a massive metal dragon three times its owner's height, equipped with three advanced energy cannons.

"And I'm not finished yet. I also activate another Jar of Greed trap card to draw an extra card."

"Very well."

"Dark Magician's attack hasn't taken place yet because its target has changed, but you're free to re-announce it," Monica said sweetly.

"I think not," he responded wryly. "I believe that instead, I shall end my battle phase, switch Versago to defense mode, place one card face-down, and end my turn here."

Monica had to suppress a shudder as she drew her next card. _This is getting too close. I have to take one of those monsters out, and at this point, Versago is the more dangerous of the two, since it can fuse into almost anything. Lucky for me Barrel Dragon is an effect monster. First for the move._ "I play Y-Dragon Head (1500/1600) in attack mode."

Another dragon made of metal appeared, this one painted bright red, bearing wide wings, and much smaller than its counterpart on the field. It released a metal-on-metal shriek, and energy crackled within its artificial gullet.

"Has your type preference suddenly changed?" the opponent asked, amused. "These are not dragons. These are machines."

"If you want a dragon, I'll give you a dragon," she said. "I play my own Premature Burial to bring Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon back to the field in attack mode."

The pink dragon rose up alongside its steel-clad comrades and growled menacingly at the opponent and his monsters.

"And now, for Barrel Dragon's special ability," Monica continued. "A little game of chance. Barrel Dragon, charge your cannons and shoot Versago down!"

The three cannons that extended from Barrel Dragon began to whine with the powering up of their reserves. Monica grinned grimly at her opponent. "If at least two of the shots hit their target, that target is automatically destroyed. And since that's the effect, it's not qualified as the actual attack... in essence, Barrel Dragon can attack twice."

The whining of the cannons hit their apex, and Barrel Dragon loosed three terrible streams of energy towards Versago.

The shot from its port cannon missed, but the starboard and dorsal cannons struck their target dead-center. Versago was obliterated in the blink of an eye.

Monica crossed her arms, satisfied. "I'm on to your game. No Dark Paladins for you here."

The opponent snorted. "Continue with your turn."

"Thought you'd never ask," she grinned. "Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon, attack Dark Magician!"

"Activate trap card: Waboku," he announced. A transparent shield of light surrounded Dark Magician and protected it from the electric attack.

"Bleh. Another boring card. End turn."

The duelist scoffed. "You may have considered that a boring card, but it served its purpose. As will this one. I summon Time Wizard (500/400) in attack mode!"

Monica kept one hand close to her duel disk's m/t activation buttons. "What're you driving at? If your roulette lands on the wrong space, not only will you lose the monsters you worked so hard to put on the field, you'll lose 1500 Life Points."

"I am fully aware of that. But as there are few plays left available to me, I do not see how there is much choice in the matter," he replied. "Time Wizard, activate your special ability and accelerate time!"

The arrow on the head of his Time Wizard's roulette staff began to spin, moving so quickly that it almost became a blur. Monica stared at it, entranced by the spinner. _He's taking a huge risk... and here I thought these guys would cover their asses whenever and wherever possible._

_Wait a minute..._ She could have whacked herself upside the head. _Dark Magicians. Of course. He wants to get Dark Sage. He'd probably pull out Monster Reborn from his deck just to make sure if I've got something lying in wait – which I do – he'll get a good monster to back himself up with._

The spinner stopped.

It had landed on a Time Warp space.

Monica rolled her eyes as the time warp's visual effects flowed all around her and twisted her monsters out of existence. _He seems to have a habit of wiping out my monsters just as I'm about to win._

The duelist smirked. "Perhaps the Blue-Eyes White Dragon cards might have helped you acquire victory here."

"Maybe," she conceded, "but this duel isn't over yet, and I'm doing just fine without them."

"Oh, you are?"

She shrugged. "Fine, you be the judge, but since you sent my monsters to the graveyard, I can activate the trap card Michizure, which destroys one of your monsters. And since your Dark Magician is a much greater threat, in whatever permutation you were planning to use..."

He glowered at her, but said nothing.

"Yeah, I'm on to that, too. No Dark Sages for you, either."

A pair of monstrous arms reached out from the center of Monica's flipped trap card and sent Dark Magician to the graveyard.

"Very well," said the duelist, discarding his Dark Magician and its equipped Premature Burial card appropriately, "but my Time Wizard is still able to damage you, and you have no more cards on your field to protect you. Time Wizard, attack her Life Points directly!"

Time Wizard cast a bolt of energy from its staff towards Monica. She was knocked back, but she'd braced herself and she stayed on her feet. Her LP counter scrolled down to 1500, and she grunted. "Finished?"

"Quite," he answered.

She drew her next card – _Seems like ages ago since I did that... maybe Time Wizard has something to do with that_, she thought – and inspected it only an instant before putting it into play. "I play Twin-Headed Behemoth (1500/1200) in attack mode."

The creature that appeared on her field looked more like a mutilated zombie than a dragon; nevertheless, it was indeed a dragon, as could be told by the wings and distinctive faces it bore. Both heads gnashed their teeth in anticipation of the metal meal in front of them.

"Twin-Headed Behemoth, destroy Time Wizard!"

Behemoth sprayed forth twin beams of green energy which rendered Time Wizard nothing more than a heap of holographic scrap metal.

The duelist growled as his Life Points descended to 2200. Monica silently pumped her fist in victory. _That's the first Life Point damage I've scored on him._ "My turn's finished."

"Very well." The mage drew his next card. "I summon Gemini Elf (1900/900) in attack mode!"

A pair of battle-ready twin elves wavered into existence. The mage looked at them in satisfaction. Monica couldn't help but think, _He's proud of himself for finally getting a decent low-level monster onto the field._

"Gemini Elf, attack Twin-Headed Behemoth," he ordered.

The twins attacked in unison, each with a different energy bolt cast towards Monica's dragon. Her monster vanished from the field and her Life Points went down to 1100.

But she didn't get angry. In fact, she laughed.

"I end my turn, and I fail to see what you find so amusing," the duelist huffed. "Your Behemoth is destroyed and your deck's low-level monster count is quickly waning, I believe."

"Guess you didn't take a close look at my cards. Behemoth's not as destroyed as you might think."

"What?"

Monica's Twin-Headed Behemoth reappeared on the field. One of the heads was hanging limply, clearly dead, but the other one was quite alive and glaring at the mage duelist and his elves.

The mage narrowed his eyes. "I do not understand. How did it return from your graveyard?"

"By its special ability." Monica giggled. "What, you thought I'd bring out a _normal_ dragon that weak when I was expecting you to have stronger monsters? When Twin-Headed Behemoth is destroyed, it returns from the grave with attack and defense factors of 1000/1000 instead of 1500/1200."

"Even weaker than before. And that effect cannot continue to be used, can it?"

"No, you're right, it can only be used once in a duel. But once is all I need." She drew her next card. "I sacrifice Twin-Headed Behemoth for Emerald Luster Dragon (2400/1400) in attack mode."

Behemoth vanished, and in its place there appeared one of Monica's more favored dragons, a massive creature sparkling green. She giggled again. "Guess you weren't expecting that. Shame on you." Then her expression turned serious. "Luster Dragon, attack Gemini Elf!"

Luster Dragon expelled a burst of green energy that engulfed the twin elves; they vanished from the field, and the duelist's Life Points scrolled down further, to 1700.

Monica gave her opponent a hard stare. "Your move."

"Very well." The duelist drew his next card. "I shall play the magic card Dark Magic Curtain, and sacrifice one half of my Life Points to summon another Dark Magician from my deck."

Monica pursed her lips. _Your Dark Magicians are getting old real fast, pal._

As the duelist's Life Points were cut down to 850, a Dark Magician clad in blue armor appeared on the field and stared Monica and her dragon down, much as its predecessor had.

"Let us waste no time. Dark Magician, destroy her Luster Dragon!"

A lance of energy speared through Luster Dragon, which vanished instantly. Monica glanced at her LP counter – _1000 Life Points... I can still do a lot with that much_.

"My turn ends here," the duelist announced.

"Good," she responded. She drew her next card, inspected it, and smirked. "I place one monster face-down and end my turn."

"Suddenly you are on the defensive? That is a welcome change of pace," he said, drawing. "Dark Magician, attack her face-down monster!"

Another lance of energy bolted across the lobby – but before it could destroy its target, Monica's face-down flipped up and revealed a pot made of metal, bearing glowing green and blue lights and a demon-grin on the closed top.

"Maybe I won't have to be as defensive as you think," she said, "since my Cyber Jar (900/900) destroys all monsters on the field."

"It does far more than that," the opponent stated.

He and Monica, as per Cyber Jar's effect, drew five new cards from their decks and placed them all face-up on the field for each other to see. Monica almost groaned at her set of cards. _Red-Eyes Black Dragon, Summoned Skull, Meteor Dragon, and Hyozanryu won't do me any good now! The only one that can go to the field like this is Magician of Faith, and if he gets two good monsters, I'm screwed!_

She looked at her opponent's revealed cards in the meantime. _Old Vindictive Magician, Masked Sorcerer, Trap Hole, Mirror Force, and Deal of Phantom... all relatively good for what they do, but I'll survive this turn. But next turn is definitely going to be my last..._

The duelist laughed mirthlessly. "Your high-level dragons are not proving to be useful in this instance. Whereas my low-level spellcasters are actually proving good for something. No... the Blue-Eyes White Dragons would not have helped you here."

"Keep talking," she growled. "Magician of Faith (300/400) goes to my field in face-down defense mode, and all other cards stay in my hand."

"Very well," he chuckled. "Old Vindictive Magician (450/600) and Masked Sorcerer (900/1400) will both take to my field in attack mode, while my other cards remain in my hand... for the moment."

Both of the duelist's spellcasters wore garish clothing. Old Vindictive Magician looked like a five-hundred-year-old woman, while Masked Sorcerer's countenance was hidden behind a metal construct.

"We are still in the midst of my battle phase, so I shall put my monsters to use. Old Vindictive Magician, attack her face-down monster, Magician of Faith!"

The old woman's gnarled staff crashed down on Magician of Faith, who cowered and shattered under the attack. Monica glowered. _An insult. Old Vindictive Magician is among the weakest spellcasters in the game. At least I get Magician of Faith's effect._ "Magician of Faith's effect activates," she announced, and she drew one of her used magic cards from her graveyard into her hand.

The duelist continued as if she hadn't spoken. "Masked Sorcerer, attack her Life Points directly!"

Masked Sorcerer was bearing a pendulum in his left hand, and it was from the pendulum that the attack sprung: a white energy bolt lanced out at Monica and struck her squarely in the chest. She stumbled backward, dazed by the pain of the hit. "Agh!"

The duelist's face twisted into a triumphant smirk. "Now that my battle phase is ended, I shall place three magic/trap cards face-down on the field, and I shall play the magic card Toll, which forces both of us to pay 500 Life Points if we wish to attack." He glanced at her LP counter. "And with only 100 Life Points left you, you may find that a difficult task to accomplish."

She was still recovering from the attack, but she sent him a withering glare. He merely smiled. "I end my turn."

_He's got me pinned at every turn._ She looked at her hand. _I got Polymerization back with Magician's effect, but even if I put a fusion monster out there, I won't be able to attack him, and that'll just invite him to destroy it, and along with it my last chance to get out of this._

She drew her next card and gawked at it. _Well, this might help me out..._

She looked back up at her opponent. "I play Graceful Charity, allowing me to add three new cards to my hand."

"And then you must discard two cards from your hand," he remarked.

"Sure do." She drew three cards and shuffled them into her growing hand, then re-evaluated her options. _Okay, more drawing is on tap._ "I discard Hyozanryu and Paladin of White Dragon as per Charity, and then I play Pot of Greed to draw two more cards."

"Your luck has apparently run out, as much as you are drawing," the duelist chuckled.

Monica ignored him and drew the next two cards.

And at these, she laughed.

_This is it. He's going down._

He narrowed his eyes at her. "What is so amusing?"

"You!" she laughed. "You and your empty threats. You still think I'm nothing without my Blue-Eyes?"

"One look at our Life Points tells me all I need to know," he answered.

"Well, get ready to learn a new lesson." She slipped a card into an open magic/trap slot. "I activate Polymerization to fuse together Summoned Skull (2500/1200) and Red-Eyes Black Dragon (2400/2000)!"

As with the Thunder Dragons at the beginning of the duel, the great monsters known as Summoned Skull and Red-Eyes Black Dragon appeared on the field a moment, and their forms twisted together to form a monster almost larger than the two of them stacked atop each other.

"I'd like you to give a warm welcome to my Black Skull Dragon (3200/2500)," she said, a grin on her face.

"With Toll in play, you are still left out in the cold," the duelist remarked.

"Oh, shut up. I'm on a roll." Monica held up another card. "Next, I play Monster Reborn on Red-Eyes to bring it back from the graveyard, since that's where fusion material goes, as you well know."

"And what will you do with that, I wonder?" asked the opponent, copping disinterest.

"I'll tell you what I'm going to do with it," she said. "I activate a second Polymerization to fuse Red-Eyes with the Meteor Dragon (1800/2000) in my hand!"

Again, Red-Eyes's form was twisted, this time around an alien dragon whose craggy form pulsated with glowing red lava in its veins. The two meshed together to create a dragon who quite possibly dwarfed her Black Skull Dragon. Its craggy surface seemed too heavy to carry on wings, but nevertheless, it bore two massive wings that were – unbelievably – actually constricted by the confines of the huge lobby and its proximity to Black Skull Dragon, whose own wings were gargantuan.

"An even warmer welcome is warranted for Meteor Black Dragon (3500/2000)."

"I shall refrain from offering it any more welcome than its comrade over there received," the duelist responded. "Toll applies to both players, no matter what monster attacks."

"I know," she said. "And your face-down cards would stop me from doing anything to you anyway. Especially that Mirror Force. Too valuable to keep in your hand, especially at this point in the game. Right?"

His eyes narrowed. "Correct."

"I'm so glad you agree. And now you'll see why putting such weak monsters in attack mode was the most foolish move you made this entire game." She stuck yet another magic/trap into an open slot and smirked in satisfaction as she activated it. "I play the magic card Heavy Storm!"

The duelist's eyes bugged out and his jaw went slack as crackling lightning blasted out of Monica's holoprojectors and wrapped about his field of four magic/trap cards. The cards exploded all at once, spraying light and holographic fire on him and his monsters.

She crossed her arms. "And you thought I was nothing without my Blue-Eyes."

His mouth open and shut as he searched for words. None came out. Not even a single whisper escaped his lips.

Her eyes narrowed. _Enough wasting time. I need to get out of here, and this is my ticket out._ "Black Skull Dragon and Meteor Black Dragon, attack his monsters and destroy the rest of his Life Points!"

Monica's dragons filled the entire lobby with holographic smoke and fire as their overwhelming attacks washed over the duelist and his monsters. Somewhere in the roar, Monica could hear her opponent crying out, but she did nothing about it. She simply stood there and stared unblinkingly into the thick black fog. _This is what you get. You wanted me to give you a fight and you got a fight._

When the holoprojectors deactivated and the smoke disappeared, Monica glimpsed the duelist lying on the floor, in a daze.

She turned around and looked at the exit outside which the purple cloud of fog hovered. Two blue-robed men stood there, watching her intently. _That's where he said Kyle is. Whatever the hell is going on, he knows about it. He's got some explaining to do._ She gathered her holoprojectors cautiously, making sure no one was making any sudden moves towards her, then moved toward the doors and hoped that the duelist's word extended to these guards, as well.

Both stepped aside and allowed her to pass.

She glanced at both of them, then pushed the doors open and moved into the fog. She squinted into the thick cloud, her eyes searching desperately for the person that mattered most to her.

"Where are you, Kyle?" she whispered.


	9. Quad of Shadows II

_A/N: Okay, well, the reason for my more spaced-out posting is because college has me cornered for both spare time and inspiration. Astronomy class has me awake at all hours of the day and night and I have to imagine that our teacher actually knows what he's doing. Why did I sign up for that class? I'm a writer, not an astronomer! So I'm a little behind at the moment, my apologies. Hopefully I'll continue to post at relatively regular intervals._

_Monica: Well, there's nothing I enjoy more than making my readers sweat a little. After all, those who know me know better than to always expect the happy ending!_

_Mira: Yay! You're back! I'm quite glad you're still enjoying the series. As ever, I try my best to dish out suspense and drama by the chapter-ful. Let's hope I continue to deliver!_

_Lumen: Had you going, too, huh? I'm doing something right! A bit of a surprise, wasn't it, the magicians finally being good to their word for something? Look forward to even more surprises in the not-too-distant future. And yeah, college is kicking my rump at the moment, and to make matters worse, it's draining my inspiration! But I'll make it through somehow, and I hope you do too as the story progresses._

_Wolf: True about the Dark Magician. By contrast, I'll bet the Brothers Paradox would be none too pleased to see Gate Guardian in the hands of goody-goodies like Kyle and Jade. I enjoy doing that. You were also surprised the mages kept their word, eh? Then you'll love what I have in store! Meanwhile, enjoy the duel!_

* * *

Theoris and Jade's LP – 5150 / 5150 

Madison and Cameron's LP – 1525 / 1525

–

Theoris looked at the attack/defense points still displayed by the holoprojectors over Tri-Horned Dragon's head. The monster had by this time risen out of the variant trap hole Cameron had activated, but its attack points were now sitting at a pitifully low 1425. It was covered in purple slime, which was giving off a most pungent aroma.

"**I am unfamiliar with your Adhesion Trap Hole,"** Theoris said to Cameron. **"Please do share the secret of how it works."**

"Uh... um..." Cameron stumbled over his own words for a moment, but quickly found his tongue. "When an opponent summons a monster, I can activate Adhesion Trap Hole, which causes the summoned monster to lose half of its attack points as long as it's on the field."

"**In which case, I believe the proper response is, 'That sucks.'"** Theoris inspected the cards in his hand, ignoring the unbidden snickering from his teammate. He had become capable of understanding most of the Duel Monsters terminology, but being able to read some of the scrawl on the cards still remained beyond his grasp. **_Nevertheless, I know how they operate, as I watched Kyle build the deck and tutor himself in every one of them. If I cannot understand the language, the pictures alone shall do._**

He looked back up at Cameron. **"Apparently Tri-Horned Dragon is now too weak to battle your Great Dezard, and it cannot attack your Bone Towers. Yet there remains a monster on your field which gives you an undesirable advantage."**

He turned to the dragon. **"Tri-Horned Dragon, destroy his defensive Des Lacooda."**

The massive Duel Monster didn't need to be told twice; it stomped across the stony field – Jade had to look again; _stone?_ – and swiped its vicious claws through Cam's face-down card. Des Lacooda was revealed with several huge gashes ripped across its side; it emitted a bleat before collapsing and disintegrating into a pile of sand that almost immediately blew away.

Theoris gave a satisfied nod. **"My turn is ended."**

Madison gave Theoris a wary look as she drew her next card. "You have some... intriguing methods of trying to intimidate your opponents. They're apparently working on my nephew. I will not be so easily frightened. I end my turn without playing anything."

Jade drew, and took only a moment to make her decision as to what to play. "I place one card and one monster face-down," she said, "and end my turn."

Cameron was next, and he barely even considered the card he'd just drawn. "You're right about one thing," he told Theoris. "Your Tri-Horned Dragon can't take Great Dezard on in a fight. Great Dezard, attack Tri-Horned Dragon!"

As another purple bolt of energy shot across the field, Theoris pressed one of the buttons on the duel disk he wore, recalling from Kyle's memory how the system worked. **"Then I shall employ the trap card Negate Attack."**

The bolt passed into a dark vortex that had spontaneously appeared in front of Tri-Horned. Cameron huffed. "Well, then, I guess that's the end of my turn."

Theoris carefully drew his next card. **"To avoid such attacks from recurring, I shall turn Tri-Horned Dragon to defense position."** The huge dragon didn't kneel, but nevertheless seemed to hunker down in place. **"I shall also equip it with the Horn of Light, to strengthen its defense past what even a Blue-Eyes White Dragon could match."**

"You _would_, that is," said Cameron, "were it not for my Dust Tornado, which wipes out your Horn of Light."

Tri-Horned Dragon's center horn began to glow with a brilliant radiance, but Cameron's Dust Tornado manifested as a twister that settled atop that horn and forced the light to fade.

"Dust Tornado also allows me to place a new card on the field face-down," said Cameron, "and that's exactly what I'll do."

Theoris noted the new card. **"Very well, then. I end my turn."**

Madison drew, and then grinned. "Now we're getting somewhere, I daresay. I remove Gagagigo from my graveyard in order to special summon my Aqua Spirit (1600/1200) in defense mode. And because that was a special summon, I can still summon a monster normally... which is precisely what I'll do. I sacrifice Aqua Spirit to play Giga Gagagigo (2450/1500) in attack mode!"

Theoris remembered seeing that monster before, when Kyle dueled her in the tournament she'd hosted. He found it to look no less nightmarish and brutal than before; a reptile outfitted with cybernetic implants, standing on its hind legs.

"Giga Gagagigo, attack her face-down monster!" Madison crowed.

The gargantuan creature stalked toward Jade's field and let loose with its lunging attack on her monster – an elderly and very unattractive woman bearing a gnarled staff and wearing thick red robes.

"You've destroyed my Old Vindictive Magician (450/600)," said Jade, her voice confident. "When she's revealed, she gets to destroy one monster on the field." She gave Great Dezard a tiny wave. "Bye-bye, you."

With that, Old Vindictive Magician shouted and loosed its own energy bolt upon Great Dezard before vanishing.

Cameron's monster was obliterated in a flash. The duelist ground his teeth in frustration.

"Ah. Well, then," said Madison, "I suppose it would be a shame not to complete the job, so I activate Raigeki, to destroy all opposing monsters!"

Lightning struck from high above what everyone might have thought to be the holoprojectors' influence, were it not for the smell of burning ozone. Tri-Horned Dragon was flash-fried and toppled to Theoris' feet.

Cameron rounded on Madison. "You could have played that _before_ attacking! I wanted Great Dezard's effect! You know Fushioh Richie is my best monster!"

"End turn. Relax, my boy," she drawled, "we'll still win."

"You've still got a bit of a distance to go," Jade noted as she drew. "I place one monster in defense mode and end my turn."

Cameron groused to himself as he drew. "Fine, then I'll start from scratch. I play Master Kyonshee (1750/1000) in attack mode." A martial arts master whose face was completely covered by a veil appeared on the field and struck a pose. "And then I equip him with Violet Crystal, which affords him 300 extra attack and defense points."

The Violet Crystal power-up manifested itself on Master Kyonshee's chest, appearing almost like a medallion – except without the necklace.

"Master Kyonshee, attack his Life Points directly."

"**That is not something you shall achieve this turn,"** Theoris responded, poking another magic/trap button on his duel disk. **"Now I activate A Hero Emerges. Are you familiar with this trap?"**

"Yeah. When I attack, you can activate it and force me to choose a card in your hand. If that card is a monster, you can special summon it to your field," Cameron responded.

"**I have two cards in my hand,"** said Theoris, holding up one in each hand. **"Which shall you choose?"**

Cameron held up a finger, pointing it in the air for a moment or two... and then indicated the one to Theoris' right.

"**You have chosen Buster Blader (2600/2300), which I shall special summon in attack position."** Theoris smiled as the dragon warrior materialized on his field, bearing a massive scimitar ready to cleave anything its master desired. **"Do you wish to recant your attack?"**

"I think I do, at that," Cameron mumbled. "End turn."

"**Good."** Theoris drew, and then glanced back up at Madison's field. **"Buster Blader, attack Giga Gagagigo."**

Theoris' monster hefted its sword and leapt across the field, bringing its weapon to bear on the reptile desecrated by machinery. Buster Blader's sword cleaved the creature in half.

Madison and Cameron both stumbled back in surprise, winded by the loss of 75 Life Points apiece.

"**I did not mention that Life Point damage would be more painful here than in the world you are so accustomed to,"** Theoris noted. **"My apologies."**

"Just finish your move," Madison grumbled.

"**Very well. I place one monster in defense position, and my turn is finished."**

The older woman drew, her Life Points now sitting at 1450, and announced, "I place a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

Jade's draw apparently yielded something more useful in her eyes, since they seemed to spark with anticipation. "I sacrifice my face-down Nemuriko to summon Dark Magician Girl (2000/1700) in attack mode."

An attractive young blonde outfitted in a bright blue magician's outfit appeared. Her hat was similar to that of Dark Magician, but clearly not identical – the same could be said of her clothing, or noticeable lack of it. Her skirt only rode as low as her hips, revealing legs that most supermodels would be jealous of. She grinned and winked at the opponents.

In spite of himself, Cameron couldn't help but let out a light wolf whistle of appreciation.

Jade glowered at Cameron. "Since your Morphing Jar sent my Magician of Black Chaos to the graveyard, Dark Magician Girl gets an additional 300 attack points. Dark Magician Girl, attack his Master Kyonshee."

The attractive Duel Monster hopped up and aimed her scepter at Cameron's monster. It loosed a blast that was also reminiscent of Dark Magician's attack, and Master Kyonshee fell on the spot. Once again, Madison and Cameron staggered, their Life Points dropping to 1325.

"That ends my turn," Jade remarked.

Cameron drew next, and immediately put the drawn card to use. "I play Polymerization, to fuse together the Spirit Reaper and Nightmare Horse I have in my hand... thus creating Reaper on the Nightmare (800/600) in attack mode."

The fusion of the two monsters gave Jade and Theoris a rather hideous sight to look at; its name did its appearance justice, for it seemed to be a grim reaper atop a nightmarish horse. Theoris wondered why such a fusion monster would be created with such low offensive and defensive capabilities, but then supposed he would find out.

Cameron's Soul-Absorbing Bone Towers began to glow green. The duelist grinned. "I should mention that whenever a Zombie-Type monster is successfully special summoned to my field, my Soul-Absorbing Bone Towers each force opponents to discard two cards from the tops of their decks. Since the effect is split in half, each of you sends the two top cards of your decks to your graveyards."

Jade glowered as she discarded her other Solemn Wishes card and Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer. Theoris raised his eyebrows, having lost Crass Clown and Vorse Raider.

"And since fusion monsters are allowed to attack in the same turn they're created... Reaper on the Nightmare, attack his Life Points directly!"

Theoris' brow furrowed as the horse galloped toward him. The monster atop it slashed its scythe at him, and a rip developed across the shirt he was wearing. He grunted and stumbled, feeling that the monster had made a small cut across his chest.

He looked over at Jade, whose face was contorted in some sort of pain, but she was holding her ground. **_She deserves much credit for that._** He regained his footing and glared at Cameron. **"You attack my Life Points when I still have a monster on my field?"**

"Your monsters aren't going to do any good against mine," Cameron informed him, "because Reaper on the Nightmare can bypass all monsters to attack an opponent's Life Points. Not only that, but he can't be destroyed in any battle, and whenever he damages your Life Points, you have to discard one card from your hand."

"**I have only one card."**

"Then get rid of it."

"**Very well."** Theoris slipped the card into his graveyard slot, not revealing it to anyone before doing so. **"Are you now finished?"**

"Yeah, go ahead. From where I'm sitting, it's not going to do you much good, no matter what you draw."

"**In that, you may be quite mistaken."** Theoris drew, and then offered Cameron a smile. **"I believe the term is 'case in point'. Behold the Card of Sanctity." **He pushed the card into an open magic/trap slot and pressed the corresponding button. **"This card allows every player involved to draw cards until each one holds six – including myself."**

Everyone silently complied with the rules of the card. Theoris looked through his new hand for several moments before making his move. **"First, I shall place one monster in defense position. Secondly, I utilize the magic of Exchange, allowing me to exchange one card in my hand with one card in..."**

He looked around the field, and then pointed at Jade. **"...her hand."**

Jade looked surprised, but met him halfway as he walked towards him. _I hope this doesn't mean that with six new cards, he still doesn't have anything useful to play_, Jade thought worriedly.

Theoris extended his hand of cards, revealing Creature Swap, Gate Guardian, Polymerization, and Reasoning.

Her own hand contained Monster Reborn, Neo the Magic Swordsman, Ekibyo Drakmord, Dark Magician, Chaos Command Magician, and Kazejin.

Her first instinct was to take Gate Guardian, and she actually raised her hand to receive it from Theoris.

Theoris offered Jade a small smile. **"Is that your final answer?"** he asked conspiratorially.

_He doesn't want me to take Gate Guardian_, she realized, and then her thoughts fell into place as she realized that he had intentionally placed Gate Guardian where he had in his hand. _He put Polymerization and Creature Swap on either side of it..._

It hit her like a ton of bricks.

She took Polymerization.

He smiled again as he took Ekibyo Drakmord. **"You may want to stay here a moment longer,"** he advised his teammate. He announced more loudly, **"Now I shall use the magic of Creature Swap, in order to give my Buster Blader to Jade, that I may receive her Dark Magician Girl in return."**

Theoris and Jade both picked up their respective monster cards from their duel disks – notably, the corresponding monsters didn't disappear from the field as they should have. Instead, they remained in place, watching the opposition warily.

Cameron pointed at them and looked to Madison in disbelief. "That can't be right, look at that. They should have vanished."

"Perhaps it is simply the duel disk's programming," she retorted. "Did you consider that?"

"The cards shouldn't be showing on the field when they aren't on the disk," he insisted.

"Oh, hush. You buy into these things much too easily," Madison huffed. She looked at Theoris and Jade. "Are you finished commiserating yet?"

"**Not quite,"** Theoris answered, and he and Jade put their new monsters on their fields. Obligingly, the two monsters moved to their opposite fields; Dark Magician Girl hovered across and gave Theoris a lazy smile and a wink. Buster Blader, on the other hand, seemed content to nod at Jade – who almost felt compelled to nod back – before he turned back to the opponents' fields.

"**Now, I reveal Penguin Soldier (750/500) in attack position,"** Theoris declared, **"forcing two opposing monsters back to their master. In this case, I choose to return both Soul-Absorbing Bone Towers to Cameron."**

Cameron grit his teeth as his Bone Towers vanished from the field – even before he had picked them up off his disk.

"**Next, I use Ekibyo Drakmord to disable Reaper on the Nightmare."**

But when the small gremlin-like creatures rushed out to meet Reaper, the horse-bound monster let out an inhuman shriek and vanished instantaneously. The gremlins looked confused for a moment, but then collectively shrugged and jumped back into the card from whence they'd come.

"Apparently, Cameron forgot to mention that Reaper on the Nightmare is automatically destroyed by magic and trap cards, as well as effect monsters, that require a target," Jade offered.

"**Thank you for that clarification,"** Theoris responded. **"It seems that Cameron now has an empty field... an advantage I intend to take. Dark Magician Girl, attack his Life Points."**

The young magician squeaked happily, apparently giddy at the chance to prove herself, and let loose another negative energy blast that hit Cameron head-on.

Both Cameron and Madison were thrown to the ground by the force of the Life Point strike, each of them losing a hefty 1150 – taking both down to 175.

Theoris instinctively examined his own Life Point counter. **_We remain at 4750_**, he mused, **_a higher number than when we began._**

Madison groaned and took her time to get back to her feet. Cameron didn't even bother at first, but instead pressed a magic/trap activation button. "I activate Raigeki Break," he gasped, "and discard one Bone Tower to destroy Penguin Soldier before you can attack with it."

"**Very clever,"** Theoris observed, even as Penguin Soldier was incinerated by a precision lightning bolt. **"That ends my turn, then."**

Madison ground her teeth as she drew her next card. "However it is you're managing this, Mr. McCraine, I'll see to it that it backfires," she snarled. "I flip Jowls of Dark Demise (200/100) to attack mode."

The monster was revealed to be nothing more than a gigantic, nearly borderless mouth with a pair of yellow eyes lurking inside.

"I can now take control of an opposing monster for one turn. And the monster I choose is Buster Blader!"

Accordingly, Buster Blader walked across the field and settled next to the hideous mouth with eyes. Promptly, its attack factor jumped from 2600 to 3600. A crease split Madison's brow. "You have two dragons in your graveyard, Mr. McCraine? I recall Tri-Horned Dragon taking to the field but I cannot recall another. Nevertheless, this appears to work both ways. In which case..." Madison gave Theoris and Jade an evil grin. "This will be fun. Something else you two should know – when a monster is controlled by Jowls of Dark Demise, that monster can attack an opponent's Life Points directly. Buster Blader, attack his Life Points!"

In reply, the massive warrior leapt across the field and brought its sword to bear on Theoris – whose first inclination was to cringe, but he nevertheless stood proudly.

The sword slashed diagonally across his chest, and both he and Jade cried out as they were thrown backward and to the ground. Despite the situation, some small part of Theoris felt dismayed by the huge slash across the shirt... the second one he'd suffered in this duel. Not only that, but blood was now seeping from the wound Blader had inflicted. The irony of being attacked by his own monster didn't escape him.

"And that's not all," Madison chortled. "Jowls of Dark Demise, attack her Life Points!"

Before Jade even had a chance to rise, Madison's Jowls were floating across the field and chomping through thin air. Nevertheless, both Theoris and Jade felt the significant burn from its touch upon their Life Points. Jade spared a glance at her Life Point counter and noted they were still at a rather high 2850 apiece.

Theoris grunted as he got back to his feet. **"Jade, are you all right?"**

"Uh... _ow_," she said, sounding winded. She struggled back to her feet. "Just need a minute to catch my breath."

"You won't get one," said Madison, "because I now sacrifice Buster Blader and Jowls of Dark Demise to play Levia-Dragon – Daedalus (2600/1500) in attack mode."

The huge leviathan that rose in place of its predecessors was even larger than Theoris and Jade remembered seeing at the finals of the Madison tournament – and it looked no less deadly, at that.

"Next, I play A Legendary Ocean, which covers the field in water..."

A flood seemed to come out of nowhere and everywhere, washing over everyone's ankles and rising to their knees. Madison snickered. "It even feels wet. Very elaborate, Mr. McCraine. Now I activate Levia-Dragon's special effect, and destroy A Legendary Ocean to wipe out every card on the field except my monster."

Levia-Dragon's long body whipped through the receding waters as the tide carried away all of the cards that had been placed – monsters, magic/trap cards, everything except Levia-Dragon. Theoris felt somewhat sorry for Dark Magician Girl as he heard her squeal while being carried off by the water, as well as his defensive Soul Tiger (0/2100).

"Finally, I play Reversal Quiz," Madison announced, "and in so doing, I must discard every card in my hand and field to the graveyard. However, the rewards may be even more generous... I must guess the type of card I'm going to draw next, be it monster, magic, or trap. If I get it right, our Life Points are switched in totality. If I get it wrong... well, then, I have an empty field with which you may play."

Madison discarded all of her other cards, and played Reversal Quiz. She closed her eyes. "I believe my next card... will be a magic card."

Everyone held their breaths as she slowly pulled the next card off the top of her deck.

"I've drawn Change of Heart," Madison triumphantly announced, holding the card up for everyone to see. "Now Cameron and I gain the 2850 Life Points each of you has, whereas you each receive our 175. We thank you for your generous donation. And that finishes my turn."

Jade drew her card and snickered. "Shame it won't help you, either way," she said. "Because I summon Neo the Magic Swordsman (1700/1000) in attack mode. But that's the least of your worries, as I play Monster Reborn on Buster Blader."

The Monster Reborn card manifested on her field, and where the picture should have been, seemed to be a portal to a graveyard. From it, Buster Blader emerged, looking none the worse for wear considering where it had been just a moment ago.

"Now I activate Polymerization to fuse Buster Blader from my field, and Dark Magician from my hand, to call upon Dark Paladin (2900/2400) in attack mode."

For the second time in his life, Theoris saw Dark Paladin appear in front of the Polymerization card he had exchanged with Jade. It wore black armor, with fierce red trim, and a face that was of a darker blue than he recalled from the last one. Its weapon remained the same, a deadly combination of sword and staff. It appeared ready to battle any foe that dared cross its path.

Before the collected duelists' eyes, Dark Paladin's attack power rose to 3900. Madison blinked. "How is that possible?" she spluttered.

"**Dark Paladin possesses a special effect allowing it to gain 500 attack points from _every_ Dragon-Type monster that has been played,"** Theoris said. **"And that includes the two dragons you have already noted were in my graveyard – Tri-Horned Dragon, and the Blue-Eyes White Dragon I was forced to discard due to the attack made by Reaper on the Nightmare."**

"Blue-Eyes?" Cameron whispered incredulously.

"Now how's this for foresight, letting fusion monsters attack on the same turn they were summoned?" She glanced at Madison. "Didn't you mention something about backfiring? Oops," she added, totally unrepentant. "Since you've got nothing to protect yourself, Cam, I'll have both my monsters attack you directly!"

Both spellcasters lunged forward across the shadowy expanse, and Cameron found himself the target of two swinging blades. He and his aunt were thrown even harder backwards than Jade and Theoris had been, as the combined attack inflicted 2800 to each of them.

Jade added a magic/trap to her duel disk. "And I'll finish by playing one card face-down. Whenever you two are able..." she added sweetly.

Cameron growled as he got back to his feet – though it took him a moment or two, and there were a pair of shallow cuts in his own shirt now. "I play Fear From the Dark (1700/1200) in attack mode," he announced, and a shadowy monster with sharply angular definition rose up from nothingness.

"You've left your boyfriend open, Jade." Cameron pointed at Theoris. "Fear From the Dark, attack his Life Points!"

"I don't leave _anyone_ hanging, unlike _some_ people I know," she shot back, activating her face-down card. "So I activate Mystik Wok, and sacrifice Neo to increase our Life Points by 850 each, and rendering your attack ineffective."

Nevertheless, the strike was painful for both Theoris and Jade, Theoris a little more so. Unlike the previous two attacks, this one manifested as a strike across the face. Three shallow cuts appeared on Theoris' left cheek. Though there were no physical marks on Jade, her cheek stung, as though she'd been slapped.

"I'd disagree, since your Life Points aren't any higher," Cameron responded. "I'll finish my turn by playing four cards face-down."

Theoris drew his next card, and noted, **"Your tendencies apparently have not changed, since you have likewise left your own partner open to attack."** He placed a monster on his duel disk. **"Thusly, I summon Kinetic Soldier (1350/1800) to the field in attack position."**

"Not quite," Cameron chuckled. "Activate Trap Hole."

Within the blink of an eye, Kinetic Soldier – and Theoris' apparent winning strategy – quite literally fell in a hole and died.

"I've got plenty more where that came from, too," Cameron said.

"**Undoubtedly. However, since I cannot normally summon another monster this turn, I shall have to rely on fate. Therefore, I play the magic card Reasoning. Now you must guess the level of monster I next draw, and if you are incorrect, it appears on my field."**

"Fine," Cameron scoffed. "Level four."

Theoris silently drew his next card. **"Monster Reborn. A pity."** He discarded that, and drew again. **"Widespread Ruin, also a great loss."**

His third card wasn't nearly what anyone had expected.

"**I special summon the level 1 Cat's Ear Tribe (200/100) in attack position."**

A triplet of kittens appeared in front of Theoris. Two were sleeping, and one of those two was purring contentedly. The third of the group was mewling and holding an absurdly minuscule knife, a weapon that didn't look like it could even cut through butter.

Jade's first instinctive reaction was typical to many girls seeing something adorable – she squealed in delight. It was only then that she realized the irony of the situation. "Aw, man, I finally get Dark Paladin on the field, and _you_ win with Cat's Ear Tribe, of all things?!"

Madison spluttered at that. "He hasn't won yet, and there are still several cards on Cameron's field to consider. Don't be so foolish as to attempt an attack on me."

At that, Theoris glanced from one opposing duelist to the other.

And he said simply, **"I do not fear you. Cat's Ear Tribe, attack Madison's Life Points."**

Madison yelled incoherently as the knife-bearing kitten hurled its tiny weapon at her. The blade didn't even touch her; instead it was the handle that hit home.

The effect was the same. Madison and Cameron's Life Points dropped to zero.

A pair of purple lightning bolts crackled down from the sky and struck each of the defeated duelists. They cried out and fell back to the ground, thrown into unconsciousness – moreover, thrown into nightmares from which they wouldn't be able to escape for a long time.

Theoris gave the kittens a nod of assent. **"You have done well."**

The center one mewled happily in response, then rubbed at its eyes with its tiny fists, yawned, then fell asleep alongside its companions – all before disappearing into the ether, as did Jade's Dark Paladin.

The Shadow Realm loosed a pair of distant screams and a crackle of thunder, a final testament to the latest dreams of its latest victims. But Theoris didn't care so much about that as he did about his young charge.

_**Kyle... where are you?**_


	10. The Revelation

_A/N: Okay, I know I'm in trouble now... the Yu-Gi-Oh! Official Website has done more updating in the last month than I have! Unfortunately, there have been several factors in the way, including the absence of the file I'd been using to write all this stuff out – I left it at home when I moved out and I had to needle and pester my family to give it back! Aside from that, college itself is tough, and I'm co-writing a fantasy novel with my girlfriend. So time hasn't exactly been on my side lately. But for you, I'll gladly make exception – my Fortunes files are starting to fill up my computer! Plus, you've been patient long enough. Time to reward that patience with the biggest plot twist of the series. Would you have ever guessed what's about to be revealed?_

_Mira: Glad you enjoyed that last part... I've done my share of portraying ugly monsters and I wanted an unlikely and very cute one to show up.  Kuriboh belongs to someone else, so Cat's Ear Tribe got the job.  Sorry about the delay, but as you can probably see from the above excuse -- uh, I mean, explanation, I've been a little busy.  Hopefully this makes up for it._

_Penny: No rush on reviewing, of course!  I like reviews, but I'm not going to force anyone to do it.  As if I could... as for your guess, see for yourself, and enjoy._

_Lumen: Theoris isn't exactly as forgiving as Kyle when it comes to people getting in the way.  But it's only temporary, they'll snap out of it soon enough.  I also have my fingers crossed for inspiration..._

_Chibigreen: So you liked that, huh?  You ain't seen nothin' yet.  Hee hee._

_Dragonking: Hey, you picked up on an important fact!  I never put powerless monsters into a player's deck.  Good for you.  Cat's Ear Tribe has a very special ability... which will be revealed later on, if you're patient enough.  If not, you can visit and run a search for the card.  At any rate, I hope you enjoy this chapter._

_Monica: Apparently there are lots of Cat's Ear Tribe fans in the reviewing sector.  I'll have to make sure that card makes another appearance.  Meantime, glad you enjoyed the suspense of the duel... but don't pull out too much hair over it, else you'll go bald from the suspense of what this chapter holds.  Enjoy!_

* * *

Monica staggered through the thick purple fog, trying not to choke on whatever vile fumes had created it in the first place. She couldn't identify the taste, but she could identify the temperature – as in, _very_ cold. She couldn't help but cling to her upper arms as she pushed through the clouds of vapor. 

_Nothing here is making any sense_, she thought. _What is this vendetta against Kyle that these people have? Why did they need to involve me? What a bunch of cowards they are... I can only hope I'm the only one this kind of thing has happened to. I'd hate for this to be the norm._

_Then again... this _is_ Japan,_ she thought, wry amusement lacing her mental voice.

Try as she might, she simply could not penetrate the cloud with her eyes; the stuff clogged her vision and made it impossible for her to see even her hand in front of her face. She groaned. _How am I ever going to get out of here?! This is just perfect... I get my ticket to leave, and I choose the doorway they say has Kyle on the other side. That was stupid, Monica, you should have taken a doorway with clear weather outside, just avoided the weird one altogether. Now all I have to do is wait for one of them to appear and grab me again..._

She sighed. _Kyle... if you're out here, I really hope you'll find me... because I don't know if I can find you..._

--

Theoris mentally searched at fever-pitch, trying to find Kyle buried somewhere... perhaps entranced with one of his own childhood experiences, or one of Theoris'. **_You cannot leave now, Kyle. There is too much to be done and I am not to do it alone. That cannot be our destiny._**

Meanwhile, he slowly took up the hologram projection launchers that Kyle had fired for the duel and snapped them back into place on his duel disk. Jade was staring at Theoris while clamping her hands over her upper arms – which were notably already clad in a jacket meant to block out blustery winds, or so Theoris had been given to understand.

"What did you do to them?" she finally asked, nodding towards the unconscious forms of Madison and Cameron.

"**Nothing which they did not already deserve,"** Theoris responded, and he moved to check on their bodies... though he already knew what he would find – they were in a trance-like state, and would remain that way for a time. **"They have been trapped in their own worst nightmares, and shall not be released until the thirst of the Shadow Realm for such dreams is sated."**

"The Shadow Realm..." Jade looked around. "This place is the Shadow Realm?"

"**I believe Kyle would call it... a pocket of the Shadow Realm, yes,"** Theoris replied. **"It was the only way to avoid further attacks from that magician on either of us."**

"What did he do to Kyle?"

Theoris frowned. **"I... am not certain. The magic seems to have sent his mind where I cannot quickly find it. Perhaps he, too, has been sent into his own nightmares, not to be released."**

"I don't like the sound of that," Jade answered, and she glowered at Madison and Cameron. "Poor Kyle... so much grief because of a single possession."

"**Kyle has known that kind of grief ever since he began to play Duel Monsters,"** Theoris noted.

Jade's face faulted – he'd struck a nerve. "Okay, I get your point," she mumbled. "Can you just... get us out of here? It's freezing. I don't know how you stand it. Weren't you from Egypt?"

"**I was. However, I have a strong tolerance for the place whose energies sustained my existence for millennia."**

The fog began to slowly dissipate, and the temperature became noticeably warmer. Jade was silent a moment, and then she asked, "How did you know?"

"**How did I know what?"**

"That I had Dark Paladin with me."

"**You told Kyle it was in your duel disk when he first asked after it. I assumed it would still be there. Apparently I was correct."**

Her eyes widened. "That's a pretty big gamble, Theoris – what if you'd been wrong?"

"**If I had been wrong, you would not have taken Polymerization when I used Exchange,"** he pointed out. **"Yet you did."** He offered her a small smile. **"And I have faith in you that, had you not been in possession of your Dark Paladin card at that time, you would have found another way to help guide us to victory."**

Jade had to smile at that. "Nice to know one of you has faith in my skills."

"**We both do. Teamwork is a strong tool."**

"That, it is." Jade gave her arms another rub; the noise of her nylon jacket crinkling was loud in the silence between them as the fog faded away. "So I guess... now all we have to do is get Monica, find out where Kyle's hiding, and get the hell out of here."

"**Not necessarily in that order,"** Theoris answered, **"as Kyle would simply want you and Monica out of harm's way."**

"Well, I'm your ride, so don't think I'm taking off without you."

"Kyle!"

Theoris felt himself get tackled. Suddenly reminded of his own children having done that from time to time, he instinctively responded by wrapping his arms around...

_**Monica?**_

--

The fog was receding. Monica thanked her luck stars for that, supposing those lucky stars still had room to shine through the thick purple cloud hanging so low to the ground. She squinted, trying to get a better view - she thought she could see shadows in the background, shadows that weren't native to this... this whatever it was.

Two forms. Standing upright, next to each other. One of them holding its arms - it looked just about as cold as Monica was feeling. Just being in the cloud was giving her the chills, though if one were to ask her, she wouldn't be able to give a definite answer as to why.

The chills were not coming directly from outward stimulation. More like... a constant sense of dread. Foreboding. Anxiety. All these, tentacles of a nameless fear. She couldn't immediately identify the person that looked cold, but she had a suspicion as to who it might be.

As for the other... all she needed was the shape.

_It's him!_

"Kyle!" she yelped.

She raced forward, leapt at him, wrapped her arms around him. She wanted to feel him again, feel his touch, his warmth. She had only sampled it two nights ago... now she wanted it fully.

But the way in which he responded was rather odd – his arms moved up almost mechanically. They didn't greet her with the kind of strength she might have expected. After all, he'd kissed her... surely that would mean he had enough feelings for her to hug her more tightly than this, wouldn't it...?

She looked up at him, confused–

She gasped.

A strange light was glowing on his forehead, coming from some unknown source – but his forehead seemed to _be_ the source, although how was that possible... and that same glow was reflected in his eyes, burning gold, burning down into her own eyes, his expression just as befuddled as her own...

"Oh... my God..." she uttered. It was all she could do not to scream. She pulled away from him, and only then did she realize that he had some sort of shield mounted on his right arm... a shield that looked a lot like the pendant he wore, and the middle of it was glowing, and the pendant wasn't hanging around his neck, and just how did he manage to heal so quickly from that motorcycle accident...? But there were scars on his face that hadn't been there two days ago, and...

She felt herself growing quite dizzy. She broke the embrace, stumbled backward. "Kyle...?"

She felt someone grab her arm from behind. She jerked it away, then turned to see who was manhandling her–

It was a face she recognized. She hadn't seen this girl for a month, but that didn't mean her face wasn't etched into her memory. _Jade_, she thought, dazed. _What's she doing here...?_

_Oh... there was a Duel Monsters tournament... wasn't there...?_

"Monica," the girl said. "Everything can be explained, but right now, what's most important is that we get you out of here. We came here to rescue you."

Monica looked into Jade's green gaze, then turned back to Kyle, whose light-adorned face bore an expression she couldn't readily identify. Something akin to... sadness? Lost hope?

"Monica," Jade said again. "C'mon, we've gotta go. My car's right over here. Let's get you away from this place, okay?"

"Right..." Monica said, and she forced herself to look away from Kyle and to the car. _Car... meaning we can get out of here as fast as freaking possible..._ She nodded shakily, then moved toward the car, trying not to hyperventilate. She reached out; Jade took her hand and held it for support, and together they made for the automobile.

Then a series of lights flashed at the edge of her vision, right before everything went to hell.

--

Theoris watched as Jade tried to guide Monica to her car. He didn't envy Monica her current dilemma; up until this moment, Jade had been the only other person to know anything about what was going on. **_The secret shall soon be revealed to all,_** he thought, not without some apprehension. On the one hand, it was rather difficult for one to ignore his possession of Kyle's body. On the other, would they really believe that he was who he said he was? And that his intentions were as honorable as he claimed them to be?

**_It shall not be very different from my previous experiences with the Council of Egypt,_** he mused. **_It shall be a modern day version of the same._**

**_But I cannot remain in possession of his body for much longer... I must find him..._** Yet searching throughout his own memories and Kyle's seemed to yield few results, and the more he searched, the more frustrated he became. **_Whatever did Kyle do to deserve such mistreatment? Whatever did either of us do, but to protect that which does not belong to those who would have it?_**

"No..."

Theoris whipped around, saw the magician who had attacked Kyle still standing there, his whitish aura blazing furiously. "It cannot end this way! I cannot allow it!"

And with that, he launched a vicious volley of white energy bolts. Theoris barely managed to get the shield between him and the onslaught before the magical energies made contact. The blows came hard, and Theoris was forced back several steps; nevertheless, he maintained the block by using the shield's powers to erect a safety field in front of him. Then he stood fast.

In spite of the magician's inability to hit him, the elderly man continued to try, throwing bolt after blinding bolt at Theoris – but then his gaze shifted toward Monica and Jade, who were now running hurriedly to the car.

Theoris had an awful premonition, and before he knew it, he had dropped the shield-wall and was charging the magician for all Kyle's body would give him. **_If it costs me my life, I will not allow this to happen again!_**

The magician saw Theoris running towards him, and his hand came back around. The aura blazed, and another energy bolt flew. This time it struck Kyle's midsection; Theoris felt the wind knocked out of him as he was thrown to his back. He bit his tongue on landing – a metallic taste filled his mouth as the magician stepped forward and stood over him, an insane grin of victory plastered underneath his scraggly white beard.

"Finally, we shall have what is ours," he vowed.

His hand extended over Theoris... another white blast emitted from it–

Theoris desperately rolled and brought the shield around to face the mage. The blinding energy rebounded off the shield, and struck the magician instead. He was lifted clear off the ground, and flew through the air – coming to a violent stop by striking a nightlamp. Theoris was certain he heard more than one _crack _from the hit, and he was reasonably certain it hadn't come from the pole. The magician landed face-down on the cracked concrete. He didn't even cry out in pain. Theoris surmised the wind must have been knocked out of him... as well as several internal injuries exacerbating the effort it took to breathe after such a landing.

**_No more than he deserves_**, he thought bitterly, and he struggled off his back and made his way to the magician's side. The old man had by this time rolled over, apparently determined to face the sky. Blood trickled from his mouth and stained his white beard, and a raspy groan escaped him – he had found his voice.

"So," the magician wheezed, his glazed eyes settling on the form above him. "It has come to this, has it?"

"**It has come to this because it is your clan that brought us here,"** Theoris answered, teeth grinding. **"How dare you antagonize my charge and his kindred. You have no right. They have done nothing to you which warrants such wanton evil."**

"Have you forgotten... how many of my own kin have been sent to the Realm of Shadows?" the mage shot back. "Few return from that place once they go. Your charge has slandered my brothers... my only family. And they are your only family as well, Theoris."

Theoris hissed. **"Do not presume to call yourselves my kin. I despise you and all you have done."**

"Why should I not call us kin?" was the counter. "You and I, and my brothers, we are the last trace of the Egypt you knew... loved... protected with your life. Had we our way, Egypt would still be as it was... yet you interfered, and you hid the Millennium items from us."

"**They did not belong to you, and in the thousands of years since, you have failed to collect even my shield."**

"Gloat all you wish... but this is not over."

"**How much longer will you persist?"** Theoris growled. **"Shall we never be rid of you?!"**

"Not until we receive what we deserve," the old man rasped.

"**You deserve nothing more and nothing less than death!"** Theoris shouted, and a blazing golden aura appeared around the shield, reflecting his anger. **"A reward I shall gladly dispense!"**

And, in most bizarre fashion, the man's reaction was not to cower in fear, as Theoris might have expected...

But he laughed in Kyle's face.

"**Why do you laugh?! _Why do you persist?!"_** Theoris demanded, and he knelt down and took a fistful of the mage's cloak in hand. In his other hand, blue static crackled, and he raised it as if to strike the older man.

"Is it not obvious, Theoris?" the mage laughed. "You are the reason I am here! Were it not for you, I would not exist!"

"**What do you mean?"**

"I am part of your vast legacy, Theoris." The magician had stopped speaking English and transited to another language; meanwhile, his smirk only grew.

Theoris instantly recognized the language being spoken... it was a language that he hadn't heard for millennia.

That of his own native Egypt.

"You cannot even begin to understand your role in our survival. I am more of your blood than you know."

"**What lies have you for my ears now?"** Theoris answered. **"What black heart have you that Ammit will be so ready to consume when you leave this world?"**

"I tell you no lies. I tell you a truth that has been hidden from you for five thousand years. It was not by fate that your charge received the Millennium Shield... but it _was_ by fate that we became of your blood."

The magician's smirk had faded, leaving only a blank expression. "If you _are_ to kill me, know that you have the death of your daughter's son on your hands."

Theoris widened his eyes. **"Blasphemer! My daughter died before I! You cannot be descended from her!"**

"I tell you no lies. Grandfather."


	11. Reasoning

_A/N: Well, that seems to have generated some response. To be expected, I suppose... not every day you find something like that out! Here's a little supplementary chapter. I wish I was doing more for this, but college is quite the butt-kicker. Finals are coming up, and then I'll be going home for winter break. Hopefully I can speed up on the updates a little bit. In the meantime, enjoy what I've got here._

_Voakands: You're about to find out._

_Monica: Now that you mention it, I can see that same scene. WRONG! Enjoy._

_Dragonking: Good point about no buildup. I didn't want to clue anybody in to what was about to happen, and Theoris didn't need to think about Egypt at the time anyway. And you bring up another good point about Theoris' ability to control Kyle's body; the answer is that there's a big difference between Khensthoth and Theoris. Khensthoth had only been inside the shield a few days, and all of his spiritual strength was sapped. Theoris, meanwhile, has been there for millennia. Granted, it took a while for him to wake up, but he has much more energy to his credit, after getting used to being there._

_Mira: Well, I'm glad you're enjoying. I wish I was updating a bit more often, but college is kicking me all over the block... hopefully this helps make up for it a little bit. As for the novel? We'll see what happens._

_Lumen: I'm just as glad you don't swear, myself. I'm also glad you're enjoying, and hopefully you'll stick with me during my less frequent updates._

_Chibigreen: Oh, you think so? I can only hope the same can be said for subsequent chapters._

* * *

Theoris' frown only deepened, and he pressed down harder on his quarry. **"How do you call me your grandfather?"** he growled, his native Egyptian coming as naturally to him as it always had. **"My children are long dead."**

"Not true," the mage replied, "for you do not know what became of your daughter."

"**I have already said my daughter is gone!"**

"She is not. Your daughter is Abana, and she lives even now."

Theoris narrowed his eyes. **"Impossible! She cannot have lived this long."**

"By our power, she has. And she has given birth to many of our kind... myself, as well." The mage's stare was no longer confident... perhaps it held the slightest tinge of... apprehension? Theoris could only wonder what was going through his mind. "I tell you the truth. I am born of your daughter, Theoris. Therefore I am your grandson. Would you kill me?"

Theoris found himself unable to respond. His foe wasn't smiling. He seemed to have little trace of ecstasy or cockiness about him anymore. Instead, his gaze was sincere, his voice steady... but now it even had undercurrents of anger to it.

"If you will kill me, then I gladly accept my fate among my brothers... whom your charge has carelessly destroyed. Yes, the boy whose body you now control has sent many of your own legacy... your own grandchildren... to the Realm of Shadows. I will go there to be with them if you wish it."

**_The boy whose body...?_** Theoris thought, his mind whirling. **_Oh... Kyle... yes..._** **"What have you done to the boy?"** he demanded. **"If you have killed him..."**

"The boy is not dead. He will recover... as much as I might wish otherwise."

"**Why would you wish death on him? Your people slandered him! The fault is yours!"**

"_I_ have done nothing to slander him!" the magician shouted. "He has _murdered_ my _brothers_! My _kindred_! My _family_! Would you not wish death on those who would do your family harm?"

Theoris shouted incoherently and slammed the mage against the ground once more. **"Do not presume to understand as I do what pain the loss of my family has caused me! The boy is the only family I have left, and you have wished death on him from the beginning for possessing that which you do not deserve!"**

The mage grimaced. "You still do not believe me. I tell you again, your daughter survives and your legacy with it. She has lived longer than you could know. She has seen more than any other modern creature. She has known life and death. She has seen her children born, grow old, and die... only to give us even more children. They, too, are born, grow old, and die, and yet she survives the pain of her losses over and over. What know you of _that_, Theoris?"

"**I know only that your claims to be my blood are false. May the justice of Ammit be eternal torture upon you, blasphemer."** Theoris raised up his left hand; indigo static crackled across it and dense purple fog filled his palm.

_Theoris..._

Theoris blinked, and hesitated. **_Kyle?!_**

_Yeah... I'm here... but what are you doing?_

_**You lost your senses. I took control to complete the duel. We were victorious.**_

_Not that... something's wrong..._

_**This heretic claims to be descended from me. I do not wish to hear his lies any longer.**_

_If they're lies, how did he know your daughter's name?_

_**Surely the public mourning for her loss gave his clan a name... he is simply trying to save himself from destruction.**_

_Theoris, think about this. Even knowing they might die, the other magicians still tried to complete their goals. Do you really think he'd try to worm out of punishment by telling you something as fantastic as this, only for it to be a lie?_

_**Kyle, the magicians are deceivers. You know this.**_

_Yeah, I know. But don't be so quick to discount it. Give me my body back._

That gave Theoris cause to worry. **_Kyle, you are not strong enough..._**

_And neither are you. Give it a rest. If I pass out, take over again, but don't send him to the Shadow Realm unless he does something monumentally stupid._

_**Such as claim to be my grandson?**_

_Such as try to attack you._

Theoris closed his eyes. Kyle opened them.

Immediately he was panting for breath, struggling to maintain his grip on himself. His eyes were glazed over, but they still looked to the magician – whose own eyes were closed... obviously he was ready to die.

Kyle loosened his grip on the mage's robe, and he put his left hand down.

"Where's your proof?" he asked.

The magician opened his eyes, and when he saw that it was Kyle in control once more, he frowned. "Can Theoris not destroy his own flesh and blood?"

"He wants to," Kyle responded. "But I don't."

The smirk returned. "And why is that, Kyle McCraine?"

"Because I want to give you the chance to prove you're his grandson."

The magician tried to laugh, but was overcome by a hacking fit that loosed more blood from his mouth onto his black robes. When finally he was able to breathe at least semi-clearly, he spoke again. "And how do you propose I accomplish this, Kyle McCraine? Take you to her? Make your own eyes see her? No... I do not think you would believe me even then."

"Who says _I _don't believe you? It's Theoris you have to convince. I know his memories as well as he does, and I've experienced your power firsthand. Perhaps you really _are _capable of extending life by unnatural means. But we won't know unless we see it for ourselves. Take us to her."

"This I shall not do," the magician responded.

"Why not?" Kyle sneered. "Afraid we'll steal her away?"

"Precisely. She is my mother, whom I wish to protect. There are few women left to our order. Those who are admitted into it are not permitted to leave it, Kyle McCraine. My mother was admitted. She shall not be dismissed."

Kyle shook his head. "Your order. What strength still remains in it? You cower from true power. You run around behind the scenes. You threaten the lives of innocent people. You shoot people in the back. Your order is afraid."

"Perhaps it is. But it shall not always be so. Your battles thus far are only the beginning of the assault. My order grows stronger for every one of us you send to the Realm of Darkness."

Kyle frowned. "That's not possible."

The magician only smirked. "Denial is such an amusing thing. You still do not yet understand that anything is possible, Kyle McCraine. But..." He began to cough again, more violently this time. "You... will..."

Blood erupted from his mouth in his coughing, more severe every time he did it. The red fluid clotted in his beard and drenched his robes again, and he fell back, no longer able to even stay in a sitting position.

Kyle began to back away from the old man, but his efforts were interrupted as the mage's hands suddenly went into action – one of them clenched tightly into a fist, and the other gripped the teen's hand.

Instantly, Kyle was overwhelmed. Images, sounds, smells flashed into his mind, alien in origin and extremely splintered. He could barely discern what was what in one image before moving on to the next, and the pace of the imagery only continued to increase, until the pictures almost lost all meaning. _Slow... down...!_

As bizarre as it may have seemed, the images seemed to comply with that demand, and then they became more than just images; now they were film shorts, memories of a childhood neither Kyle nor Theoris had ever known...

It paused.

The mage was thinking of only one thing – one _person_ now.

It was the one person almost anyone would think of upon the twilight of their life.

It was his mother.

She was beautiful by any standard. Her features were smooth, flawless... her black hair was so long it reached the backs of her knees, and her brandy-brown eyes were looking directly at him, _directly_ at him, her lips turned up in an expression of love and compassion.

Kyle knew that smile.

Damn it, he _knew_ that smile. Only one person in the universe was capable of a smile like this one.

_**This... this cannot be...**_

_But it is._ Kyle closed his unseeing eyes, but was unable to block out the image. The image of a grown woman whose features were still recognizable as those of the one person Theoris _knew_ was gone.

And yet... here it was, for them to see. She _wasn't_ gone.

She was still alive.

Abruptly, the image vanished from Kyle's mind, replaced with the darkness of his eyes hiding behind their lids. He snapped his eyes open, found that the mage had released his hand and was now staring towards the east.

The old man extended one hand toward the horizon and groaned loudly. "The... past..."

And then consciousness left him.

Kyle stared down at the old man for a few more moments, watched as his lined face began to smooth... watched as the pain left his eyes. The pain, and everything else along with it.

He pushed himself to his feet, finding that to be a considerable effort, and staggered away from the fallen magician. Beads of perspiration streamed down his face and mingled with unbidden tears as he turned around and stumbled in Monica and Jade's general direction. But several steps into the maneuver, he felt the world begin to spin around him, and a dull roar filled his ears.

He fell face-first to the ground.

They had stood some distance away, letting Kyle's conversation – if it could be called that – be a private one. Jade's teeth were starting to chatter, and she kept glancing around uneasily. She was relieved when Kyle got to his feet and started towards them... but that relief evaporated when he fell. "Kyle!"

Monica, meanwhile, had become quite suddenly unsure whether she was still asleep and in the robed men's custody, or if she was in fact awake and hallucinating. But the moment she saw him keel over was the moment her indecision became a thing of the past, and she rushed over to him.

"Kyle!" she nearly shouted. "Are you okay?"

An unintelligible groan escaped his lips at first, but then his head craned up and his glazed eyes looked into Monica's. He offered her a small, sheepish grin. "Hi, there..."

Jade looked at Monica. "Help me get him up," she said, moving to his left side.

Monica nodded, and she got on the other side. Together, the two of them pulled Kyle into an upright position. He coughed once, then twice, and he rubbed his eyes with thumb and forefinger. Something that sounded vaguely like a scoff escaped him. "I... think I've got... a lot of explaining to do..."

"Damn right you do!" Monica scowled, and she nearly bowled him over with a hug at the same time – only to start beating on his back with her fists. "What the hell's wrong with you, trying to rescue me yourself?! That's what police are for! I thought you were dead! What happened? How did you...?"

Jade coughed loudly. "Monica, I didn't get him out of the hospital so you could put him back in it. Let's get out of here before anyone else shows up, agreed?"

"Agreed!" Kyle groaned, through Monica's barrage. Despite the light-heartedness of the situation, there was nothing he wanted more than to get away from this place... a feeling shared by Theoris.

For her part, Monica sighed, then appeared to calm down somewhat and nodded. "Yeah... we should go..."

The three of them made for Jade's car.

--

After returning to the hotel room – Jade paid for another night's stay on their way in – Kyle spent half an hour explaining the situation... mostly to Monica, who was, of course, entirely skeptical and incredulous. Despite that, Kyle pressed ahead with everything, telling her about the Millennium Shield, the magicians, and their plight for the item.

When he finally paused for breath and a glass of water, Monica sat back and tried to process everything she'd been told. "So... you've been keeping all this to yourself because people would think you're crazy..." She scoffed. "No wonder, either. It sounds absolutely insane."

"I know, but for the sake of argument, just keep your ears and mind open. There's one more thing about my Millennium Shield that you probably should know."

"And what might that be?" Monica asked, crossing her arms.

"There's a human spirit inside it. Somehow his essence was transported into it as he died, and now he's a mind without a body."

"Oh, really."

"Yes, really. And I can introduce him to you. Actually... you did see him before. It was at the Madison tournament, when you walked in on me in that lobby. And again today. Watch."

Kyle closed his eyes and appeared to concentrate.

A moment later, the light she had long-since convinced herself was just a figment of her imagination appeared on his forehead once more.

And when he opened his eyes again, the pupils were blazing yellow.

**"Greetings, Monica. My name is Theoris."**

Jade smiled a little; Theoris' voice was quite a bit deeper and older than Kyle's, but since he was using Kyle's body, there was always just a bit of Kyle left in the tone. She looked at Monica for her reaction.

Monica's jaw had snapped shut. She gulped at the sight before her, and then looked back at Jade with a look in her eyes something akin to "deer-caught-in-the-headlights".

**"Do not be afraid, Monica. I shall not hurt you. Nor shall I hurt anyone Kyle chooses to call 'friend'."** He offered her a strained smile. **"Kyle neglected to mention we have met even before what you call 'the Madison tournament'. Do you recall the night you first came into his dwelling?"**

Her lips parted slightly, but nothing would come out. Nevertheless, she managed to provide her response in a single nod. Yes, she remembered... still as vividly as if it had been the night before. It was the first night she'd begun to recognize Kyle's compassion.

**"I could not allow such a dishonorable creature to pursue you further. It was I who stood on the balcony that night."**

Monica shuddered, and then she looked back at Jade, who by this time seemed to be rather nonchalant about this encounter – from this, Monica gathered that Jade had already met this... this... body-snatching-whatever-it-was. Speech slipped out of her then, and perhaps it was because she was directing it at someone other than whatever now sat before her. "An old boyfriend... he was really abusive. He was chasing me, and I went up the fire escape on Kyle's building. His door was wide open and he was just standing there..."

**"I did what was required of me,"** Theoris supplemented. **"I protected her. I only wish I could have performed the duty more adequately in these past days."**

"That sounds," Jade answered in response to the conversation being aimed at her, "quite a bit more heroic than the conditions that I met Theoris under. Not, of course, that our first meeting went badly. Everything since then has just seemed a little... skewed."

**"This, I cannot argue."**

"Wait a minute," Monica interjected. "So what happened with that crash? I thought you – Kyle... you... whichever! – were dead, and then I heard a voice..." She blinked. "It was yours, wasn't it?"

**"Yes. I could no longer hear Kyle and feared he was lost."**

"I ended up following Kyle," Jade continued, "and found him after he crashed. I took him to the hospital, only to break him out later. Ironic."

Monica frowned. "Break him out? But... your leg... your arm..."

**"They were healed by magical means. It was not a pleasant experience for Kyle but he wished a rapid recovery in order to rescue you. He received one. Unfortunately, this necessitated 'breaking out', as it is described, for if the healers had discovered him..."**

"It would have looked suspicious, right?" Monica finished.

**"Precisely."**

Kyle's eyes closed, and the next time they opened, the light on his forehead had vanished and his eyes had reverted to their original gray color. "So now you're up to speed on everything that's happened before... but there's another problem."

"Another one? There doesn't ever seem to be an end of these problems," Jade opined.

He gave Jade a wry look. "It's been my experience that the Millennium items quickly become more trouble than most might think they're worth."

"What's the problem?" Monica interrupted.

He sighed. "The magician who tried to attack us back there told Theoris that he's his grandson."

Jade gave Kyle a mockingly scandalized look. "I thought you said you were aware of everything Theoris did..."

"Very funny. When Theoris was still alive, he had two children – a daughter and a son. He's reasonably sure his son's legacy didn't last very long, and up until now we were both convinced his daughter had died even before Theoris. She vanished one night, never to be seen again. The magician claimed Theoris' daughter was taken by his clan and somehow they made her immortal."

"Immortal," Monica repeated, incredulous.

"Definitely one of the easier bits to believe," Jade put in. "Did he have any proof?"

"He knew her name, but virtually all of Egypt knew that – her family was well-respected. Somehow, he managed to share his memory with Theoris... a memory or two of his own childhood, being raised by a young woman who looks remarkably like Abana. Most other details hazy, but memories are like that, and this image was crystal clear."

Kyle shook his head. "For some reason, and I'm guessing it's the immortality, she didn't age a single second while he was with his clan. All the way into his old age, she stayed exactly the same, doting on generation after generation of children."

"Obviously a woman with more patience than I could ever have..." Jade mumbled.

Kyle continued. "Theoris is furious with the very idea that his daughter was kidnapped so long ago and has been forced to be a baby-maker all this time. That's why I'm talking about it instead of him. He loved Abana as only a father can, and if there's still a chance that she's alive... he wants to find her."

He leaned forward and looked at both of them, his tone deadly serious. "_We_ want to find her."


	12. No Turning Back

_A/N: The episodes of Yu-Gi-Oh that were supposed to be new today were reruns of the beginning of the season, which I think is a ripoff. I think you guys deserve something new. So here's a new chapter._

_Mira: Okay, so I had that coming. For that, I give you this chapter. And I like the way you think._

_Wolf: He almost did. Although you'd have to think about it... would Theoris kill a blood relative?_

_Monica: How's this for soon?_

* * *

Monica blinked a few times as she pondered this. "Well... that's a noble cause... but do you even know where to start looking?"

Kyle shook his head slightly. "That magician pointed toward the horizon and said something about 'the past'. His past and Theoris' past are both tied to Egypt... so I guess our best bet would be to start in Egypt and work our way from there."

Monica slumped. "Kyle, Egypt is huge. Even with all these supposed 'magic powers', how are you going to find anything there?"

"I don't know. But if either of you have a better idea, my ears are wide open."

"Well..." Monica rubbed her forehead, trying to think of something. "He was pointing to the horizon? Which one?"

"The eastern one." Kyle frowned. "Wait a minute... that's the wrong direction. But he even moved himself around to point that way."

"It'd be east if we were back in the States," Jade continued the train of thought. "But there's not much east of Japan, not without crossing the Pacific, which would only put you back in the States, and still not in Egypt."

"So let's think more locally, then," said Monica. "Is there anything significant east of here?"

"In Japan, you mean?"

"Yeah. Anything relating to Egypt–" She cut off the question, and it looked as though she'd struck upon something. "Which way is that exhibit?"

"Exhibit?"

"There was an exhibit of Egyptian artifacts here in Domino, we went and visited it a couple days ago. There are fragments of Egypt's past there. Maybe that's what he meant?" Monica shrugged. "Either of you know if it's still here?"

"I don't," said Kyle.

Jade also shrugged. "No idea. But even if it is still in Domino, it won't be open at this time of night."

"Then I guess we'd better sleep on it," said Kyle.

"At this point I have a lot I need to sleep on," Monica mumbled.

Jade looked down at the bed she was sitting on, then looked over at Kyle and Monica on the other one. After a moment, she asked, "Don't take this the wrong way, but are you two sleeping together tonight? Because the bodies are outnumbering the beds."

Monica shook her head and stood. "No, I'll sleep on the chair. I was abducted from my hotel room while lying down, I don't want anything like that to happen again."

"You _are_ aware there are two other bodies in the room who're more than willing to help out, should something that unlikely take place, right?" Kyle inquired.

"Yeah, I know." She gave him a weak smile. "Psychology plays some nasty tricks on you. And so does everything you've just told me."

He gave her an apologetic look. "Monica..."

"Kyle... I'll be okay. I just need some time." Monica looked back at Jade and nodded, her decision made. "Chair for me. And I'm stealing Kyle's blanket." She yanked the top comforter off Kyle's bed.

"Hey!" he protested.

Jade unlaced her shoes with a smirk. "Just leave me out of any lovers' quarrels."

"Lovers." Monica snorted. "Yeah, right... I don't know how Kyle plans to woo me back into his good graces, but after all this, there'd better be diamonds involved. Lots and lots of them."

Kyle rolled his eyes. "Let's all just try to sleep, all right?"

Nobody argued that directive.

–

Kyle rolled from one side of the bed to the other. He was surprised he hadn't heard a word of complaint from either Jade or Monica – on the other hand, he was assuming either of them was awake by this point.

He sighed and rolled toward the bedside table to look at the clock.

4:42 a.m.

He groaned and fell back against the pillows. _I haven't been able to sleep all night. God must be spiting me or something..._

_**Kyle. We must find Abana.**_

_Believe me, no one knows that more than me._

_**We must find her. Now.**_

_How do you propose we start? Visit the museum? It doesn't open for another five hours or so._

_**You saw a woman there with the Millennium Tauk. Perhaps she can help us.**_

_What would she know of the magicians? That tribe's been dead to Egypt ever since the Millennium items were sealed away. Nobody paid attention to their existence afterward. Few pay attention to it now. And besides, you think she'd really spend all of her time at a museum?_

_**You said yourself her business is Egypt. Surely she would not leave those relics alone.**_

_That's what security is for. Yet another reason there's no point in going there now._

_**Do you not recall what Djedhor told me when Khensthoth and I cast protection on that tauk? It is meant to see the past and the future.**_

_Who was it you saw in that vision? Some tall person..._

_**Tall, yes. Wearing what appeared to be a dark robe. I now know what it was. It was not a robe – it was a coat. A long, black coat. And long, black hair. And pale skin, and an unfamiliar face...**_

Kyle was startled. _Me... that image you saw was of me!_

_**Yes, Kyle. Perhaps it was by fate that we met, after all, despite the claims of so many others.**_

_What's your point?_

_**I did not believe it would be my fate to see my family again. Yet an opportunity to rescue my daughter from evil has been presented us. We must pursue that opportunity while it still lasts. We know not what the magicians have done to her... what they may be doing to her even now.**_

_Actually, we have a pretty good idea what they've been doing. Throughout history, one of the most notable accomplishments of women has been to continue the species – which is evidently what she's been doing for them._

_**She cannot be the only one. There must be others. What I have learned from your studies leads me to believe there must be other women trapped within their world as well.**_

_While we're being realistic, Theoris, ponder this thought: we're looking at well over a hundred generations since she's had any contact with her family. That's literally thousands of years. As young as she was when she disappeared, it's likely the magicians didn't have to spend much time convincing her to adapt to their ways. If she's been with them this long and she's still alive, chances are virtually nil that she's the daughter you knew. She's one of them._

_**I cannot simply abandon her!**_

_Not like the rest of your family, right?_ Kyle mentally snapped. _Not the way you did for a slab of metal._

_**Do not presume to judge me in that fashion! You left your own family on your conscience, which you would not even have without that slab of metal!**_

_And it's because of that same slab of metal that I got involved in all this! What exactly is it I owe you, huh?! All you can do is sit on the sidelines and be the voice of common sense, and then you wail about your own family troubles whenever you feel the slightest bit homesick!_

_**I do not recall you doing any better! I cannot change the position in which I have been placed! You still have that capability – if you are so unhappy with...**_

_Unhappy with what?_ Kyle challenged. _With you and your nature? With everything that's been going on? Damn right I'm unhappy!_

_So what? You're gonna give me a suggestion as to what I should do with myself? Or maybe the shield? Maybe I should just throw it in the gutter and try to forget all the grief I've had to suffer because of your heritage!_

**_...No... I need you. I need you now, more than ever._** Theoris emitted his version of a sigh. **_I am sorry for all the pain the Millennium Shield and my presence within it has caused you. I am sorry that your kindred have had to suffer because of the magicians. But we cannot change what happened. What is done... is done._**

_And I want to make sure it doesn't happen again._

_**I know, Kyle, I know.**_

Kyle pursed his lips. _You know what this means, don't you?_

_**Yes.**_

Kyle sighed. _I guess we'd better get to it, then._

–

Monica felt a distinct sense of deja vu as she squirmed on the chair. Something warm was lying atop her, and it took her a moment to realize that not only was the blanket she'd taken wrapped around her, but another one had been put there as well. Despite the comfortable coverings, however, she had several massive cricks in her back and she was feeling slightly sore in her legs.

Her eyes blinked open, and she slowly turned her head – her neck popped twice in the process – towards Kyle's bed.

He wasn't there. And the extra blanket atop her had most assuredly come from that bed.

She looked to Jade's bed. She, at least, was still there, apparently snuggled under the covers and sleeping comfortably. There was no clock easily in view, but judging from the small bit of sunlight Monica could see peeking behind the blinds, she guessed it was early morning.

She carefully stretched out and rose from the chair, then circled around Jade's bed and inspected the bedside table clock, which read 6:21 a.m.

But the clock wasn't the only thing on that table. There was also a piece of paper, and a single Duel Monsters card.

Her brow creased. _Kyle's Gate Guardian card_. She approached the table and read the small note on top of which the card had been placed. Then her eyes widened, and she gently pushed at Jade's mattress. "Jade, wake up."

One bright green – and slightly sleep-fogged – eye opened, and then Jade sat up, taking in Monica's expression. "What is it?"

Monica passed the note to Jade.

_Jade,_

_When I said I wanted you to find out for yourself whether you believe you deserve it or not, I meant every word of it. I hope you'll use this well and treat it with respect while I'm gone. Where I'm going, this can't come with me._

_Kyle_

She read the note, looked at the card disbelievingly, and read the note again, looking over at the other empty bed. Without the usual confidence in her voice, she asked, "Where is he?"

"I don't know... I don't know," Monica said, feeling suddenly frantic. She looked around the room – and on the dresser she found another note, this one with four cards atop it. She virtually leapt across the room and snatched up the letter... some part of her recognized the four cards as the Blue-Eyes cards that had been taken from her.

_Monica,_

_If only we could live out what we feel... but I have to do this first. In the meantime, I hope these cards show you how much you mean to me. I might have won them, but they aren't mine. They're yours._

_Kyle_

"The museum," Jade said, reaching for her bag. "Do you think–?"

"Must be," Monica answered. "He's got to be..." She scrambled to get her shoes on.

With Monica's directions, Jade drove to the Domino museum, and parked. The huge steps were empty. "They're not open yet," Jade said, frustrated.

Undeterred, Monica jumped out of the car and raced up the steps. It appeared as though no one was there – there weren't even any guards to block the glass double-doors, though Monica had little doubt they were locked. A quick tug on the handle confirmed that theory.

She groaned, then tried to peek inside as best she could, what with the sunlight beginning to shine on the glass.

"Monica," Jade called from the sidewalk, "there's a side entrance."

Monica was more than happy to investigate that – and this one appeared to have been opened recently, though whether by guards or by someone else, she had no way of knowing. She looked to Jade. "Do you really think he'd...?"

"You know him better than I do. But with all that's been going on? I think Kyle's willing to go a lot further for things than we're aware of. Especially with..." she did not complete her sentence, though she knew Monica would understand she was talking about Theoris. She pulled on the door handle, and it opened. Without another word, Jade stepped inside.

Monica quickly followed Jade through the door. Two voices in her head argued with each other; while one demanded that she get herself back outside before she got caught and thrown in jail for trespassing, the other pleaded that she find Kyle, and soon. The second one was winning by a hair, at the moment, so Monica was moving quickly but cautiously.

After finding a plaque with the universally infamous "You are HERE" map on it, they made their way to the area marked 'Ancient Egypt', only to find the exhibit floor empty.

Monica let out a sigh as she scanned the area. Not a trace of Kyle, or anyone else, was to be found. "Maybe he didn't come here, after all," she whispered. "And if he didn't, there's no chance we'll find him."

"Or maybe he came here but left already," Jade whispered back, equally irritated and worried. "You were here before with him, weren't you? Was there anything going on that maybe would help?"

Monica rummaged through her memories of that evening, trying to recall... "Maybe..." she mumbled. "I pointed out this Egyptologist to him, and then he just up and decided to leave. Maybe it was her... or maybe he saw something..." She pointed. "It was over there, behind those display cases."

"All right. Worth a shot," Jade agreed. "What was the Egyptologist's name, do you remember?"

"Uh... I think it was Isis something." Monica led the way towards the cases in question.

Jade blinked. _There's no way that's a coincidence_, she thought. _How many women named Isis could there be in Japan?_ "Isis Ishtar?"

"Yeah, that was it. Why?"

"Because Isis Ishtar was one of the Battle City finalists. She and Malik Ishtar, they're siblings, both finalists. It was on the news."

Monica frowned. "Weird. Is there a reason Kyle would want to avoid her?"

"Not that I know of."

As they crept closer, there could be heard the sounds of hushed voices. Monica suddenly halted and held her breath, then ducked behind the nearest display case.

Confused, Jade did likewise behind another one, mouthing at Monica, _What?_

Monica pointed over the display case and mouthed back, _I hear something_. She strained to hear more than just a few unintelligible words, but nothing more resonant seemed forthcoming.

Jade listened, then shook her head. I don't hear anything. _Now what?_

Monica pointed at her own eyes with two fingers, then mimed those fingers "looking" around the bottom corner of the case. _Look around_, she mouthed.

_Now there's a brilliant plan_, Jade sighed to herself.

Monica felt extremely undignified at this moment, but on the other hand, she felt uncharacteristically desperate to see what was going on.

And what she saw made her eyes go wide.

Kyle was at the other end of the route, wearing both his duel disk and the Millennium Shield on his arms. And standing not two meters away from him was a man in a dark robe.

They were taking each other's hand, as if greeting each other.

She scrambled to her feet and very un-quietly placed herself in the middle of that route.

Kyle glanced towards the noise... and a look of great sorrow crossed his features.

Without a word, both Kyle and the robed man literally faded away.

Jade gaped, also getting to her feet and moving into the room. "Kyle?" She moved to the spot where he had been standing not seconds before.

Monica didn't want to believe the words, even as they left her.

"He's... he's gone."


	13. The Teacher

_A/N: So I suppose everyone deserves an update, now that more than a month has passed since I last posted anything on this story. Very sorry. A brutal triumvirate - final exams, holidays, and my girlfriend - proved to be just a tad distracting. But I'm back, and I've got something, which is a lot better than nothing, right? Right. Chapter 13 is here. Enjoy._

_Monica: Well, hopefully, your interest is still piqued by this point. Take a look and, if the spirit of Theoris moves you, lemme know what you think._

_Dragonking: Thanks, I thought it might be an idea original enough to merit production. Hope you enjoy what comes of it!_

* * *

Kyle had directed the cabbie to drop him off near the hotels where he and Monica had roomed the night before the tournament. _Was it really just three nights ago?_ he thought. _Seems like forever..._

Of course, his intention wasn't to go inside. The last thing he needed was for his face to be seen by the local authorities. _Then again, what do I know? If they make their money off taxes, I guess I wouldn't have anything to worry about... if they don't, they'll probably just send a bill to my apartment or something._

He snorted. _Not like I'm going to be there when the bill arrives. I'll hate trying to straighten THAT out... I don't even know how long I'll be gone._

_**Let us hope that events move quickly. I wish to rescue my daughter as soon as possible.**_

_I'm with you there._

Kyle stayed at the hotel entrance until the cab had driven away, and then he set out from there toward his true destination. He couldn't remember exactly where the museum was relative to this position, but he recalled the route he, Monica, and Chubs had taken to get there.

_Chubs..._ He sighed. _I probably won't even be able to talk to him... try to tell him what happened..._

_**You told Jade. She will tell Monica, if no one else. Chubs may still not believe.**_

_Maybe... I'd feel better about it if someone other than Jade knew that Chubs is in the hospital, though. Maybe if we come across that woman with the Tauk..._

Kyle tried to avoid thinking too much as he retraced the tourism route. He patted his pocket, where both his deck and the one Theoris had been building were housed, and then he considered the bulky equipment mounted on his left arm. _I guess I'll have to deactivate my duel disk at some point or another. The manual said they have some sort of tracking devices in them. And I don't want the others following me. We have to do this ourselves._

_**I know, Kyle. And you will miss them. But at least they will be away from harm.**_

_That's the most important aspect of this journey, for me._

_**Not quite so little.**_

The horizon was beginning to brighten, just slightly. _Sun's rising. New day ahead._

_**Kyle?**_

_Yes?_

_**I wish to ask you a question you may find awkward.**_

_Well, it's not like I have anyone else to talk to, so shoot._

_**You have many concerns now. I can feel it, of course... they radiate from you like the rays of the sun. But a vast majority of that concern lies with Monica.**_

_Your point?_

_**Whenever you think of Monica, you seem to tense up. You miss her when she is not there. You appreciate her presence more than anything when she is. I wish to know if you love her.**_

Kyle wasn't surprised by the question. _Honestly, Theoris, I've been pondering that same question myself. And I just don't know. I wish I did know, one way or the other, but I have no basis for comparison. I barely even know what love is. Sure enough I didn't get it from my parents. Not the right kind, anyway._

**_You did kiss Monica_**, Theoris pointed out.

_That's true, I did. I'm attracted to her, which I'm sure is no surprise to you. I would like for our relationship to go to another level... but I don't know how far I want it to go._ He scoffed. _Actually, it may be a blessing in disguise that all this is happening when it is. Gives us both a while to think about things._

_**Leaving her may not endear you to her.**_

_I don't recall you encouraging me to stay for her benefit._

_**I am simply pointing out a possibility. Depending on how long we are gone, Monica may decide to back out, or to begin a relationship with someone else in your stead. You must be prepared for this when we return. The world will go on in our absence.**_

_Something you're already aware of._ Kyle chewed his lip. _I'll worry about that when the time comes. Not all stories can have happy endings, I know that. But it's not something I can afford to worry about right now. I committed myself to helping you find Abana, and that's what I'm going to do._

_**And we begin with the museum.**_

_Exactly. I might not have appreciated the offer at the time, but the bearer of the Tauk said her services would be availed to us if we asked. Seeing as how she's an Egyptologist, she's one of the best people to start with, whether or not she knows anything of the magicians specifically._

By this time, Kyle had come into view of the museum in question. It was a humble structure, reminiscent of Roman architecture. Of course, the place was closed until "morning hours" – specifically, hours that were much later than the hours he was currently keeping. But something gave him the distinct feeling he wouldn't have to worry about that... although whether it was intuition or some sort of hint from the shield itself, he couldn't be sure.

Wherever the sensation had come from, he acted on that feeling, and was rewarded – as he walked up the front steps, he spotted some movement on the other side of the thick glass doors barring his entry. He squinted through the windows, trying to make out the image – or images – beyond, but he couldn't spot more than a few shadows rearranging themselves in the dreary horizon's first light.

For a few moments, there was nothing to attract Kyle's attention. Those moments passed quickly, however, as the sounds of footsteps on concrete, abnormally loud in the silence of the sleeping city, reached his ears. He turned to the right; there approached the Egyptian woman he'd met earlier, black hair flowing in the breeze. Her tan face wore an expression of contentment that he'd not seen there in his first two encounters with her.

Unfortunately, that was not the only difference in her appearance. To most, it was barely noticeable, but to Kyle, it was glaringly obvious.

She was no longer wearing her Millennium item.

He frowned, but before he could even begin to formulate the question both his own mind and Theoris' were asking, she held up a hand to hold back the inquiry. "You wish to know where my Millennium Tauk is. It is now in the hands of He who needs it far more than I."

"The Pharaoh?" Kyle asked involuntarily, and instantly he felt surprise that such a conclusion had come to him so quickly.

Even more surprising to him was the nod of affirmation that he received for it. "The King has returned, and He is as benevolent as history recalls. It was the only payment worthy of Him, for my brother's life."

Before Kyle could ask what she meant, she continued. "None of which is your concern now, Kyle McCraine. Your business now is to prevent the ancient mage clan from collecting any of the Millennium items. They must not have even one, else they will wield the powers of Darkness... powers they do not know how to harness."

Kyle attempted to interpret what she was saying. "They want world domination, but they'll cause world destruction instead?"

She nodded once. "Preventing the return of Darkness to this world has been the task and duty of those who wield both the knowledge and the power necessary to do so. The Pharaoh has just overcome one of the greatest challenges He has ever faced, both in this life and in the past."

"I have a new priority in this mission," Kyle cut in. "Long ago, there was a kidnapping. A girl named Abana. The mage clan took her into their ranks. I have reason to believe they have made her immortal, and that she lives even today."

The woman considered this information. "Perhaps. What do you hope to accomplish in finding this Abana?"

"She's the only daughter of the man whose spirit now rests in my Millennium Shield. We want to rescue her. The problem is, we don't even know where to start."

The Egyptian's brow wrinkled. "And what of the magicians? You have a duty–"

"I'm well-aware of my duty," Kyle snapped. "But if my information holds true, I'll have to go to the source anyway. If I manage to make it all the way to Abana... it's likely most of the magicians will have been dealt with already. But I need a starting point. I need some method of convincing her to come with us. If she's lived with them for millennia, it's a good bet she's swallowed whatever sick tales they've told her. I need to know how they think, so that I can give her a reason to leave."

He didn't want to think about what "dealt with" meant in this case. After the revelation that many of their numbers may have been of Theoris' bloodline, neither Kyle nor Theoris were entirely sure they could stomach the thought of condemning the man's own grandchildren to a fate worse than death in the Shadow Realm. Plus, the claim that the mages gained power for every one of their brothers cast into that hell was additional incentive.

_**Though they conspire against us both, they are still blood. If it can be helped, I no longer wish death upon them... only pity.**_

_I very much doubt they want your pity, Theoris._

_**Nevertheless.**_

The woman again gave the matter a few moments' thought, then said, "Come."

She turned and made her way around the corner of the museum. There was an unlocked "Employees Only" entrance on the right side, presumably the door she'd come outside through. She now re-entered the building through that same door. As Kyle followed her in, he noted that the entrance led to a long hall of offices – most of the doors were closed and securely locked, and the windows to the offices that had them were blinded.

The woman turned to the left and quietly entered an office whose door was wide open. Kyle went in along with her and saw that the place was fairly nondescript; a simple desk and three chairs – one behind, two in front – were the only furniture present. An active laptop and a multi-line telephone adorned the desk, and a nameplate reading "Isis Ishtar" sat on its edge, but beyond these three items, the desk was spotless.

_Isis Ishtar..._ "One of the Battle City finalists?" Kyle inquired aloud.

"Certainly that is not my greatest accomplishment," she said as she slid into her seat. She accessed a program on her computer. "But it is one of my accomplishments, yes."

Kyle chewed his lip. "I could have been there, too."

"You were not meant to be there, and so you were not there. As it turns out, this was a fortunate happenstance. I was able to give the Pharaoh the aid He needed, and I also discovered many things for myself." She picked up the phone and dialed a long series of numbers.

Kyle tilted his head to one side. "Who're you calling?"

"A contact." She spoke in Egyptian then, using a dialect that Theoris was unable to translate. Kyle hoped that whoever she was talking to would be able to help. _If she's speaking Egyptian, that's a start, anyway..._

Isis hung up the phone and then looked back to him. "The 'starting point' you seek is in the museum. Go through the double doors at the end of the hall and into the exhibit. Your help will be there in a matter of moments."

Kyle considered asking her what she meant, then decided against it; given her evidently cryptic nature, he was beginning to consider himself lucky to get any help from her at all. He ultimately chose not to pursue the matter and left the office without another word, following her directions to the letter.

The museum, despite the light steadily creeping over the eastern horizon and through the front doors, was still quite dark and foreboding. Kyle allowed his eyes to adjust to the low light before he went among the various exhibits. The combination of the stars pervading his sight and the low light conditions prevented him from being able to appreciate the displays, but he already knew what he would find there – items that would have, by ancient Egyptian standards, hardly been worthy of the title "relic".

Once more he felt a wave of disappointment from Theoris. **_Is this all we, the mightiest nation in the world, have been reduced to? A few token samples of papyrus, stone carvings, and food utensils? This is hardly a fitting memorial._**

_I know, Theoris, I know._ Kyle held his hand up to not quite touch the glass protecting a stone tablet covered with hieroglyphics. _But if there's one lesson history has taught us, it's that nations rise and fall with each passing day. What may be the smallest settlement of the times one day may become a world power the next. By contrast, what may be the greatest nation the world has ever known one day may become little more than a few tributary memoirs and laments the next._

He scanned the other artifacts surrounding him. _The name Egypt is still given to a country in this world, and that country occupies some of the same lands it did so long ago. But it'll never be the Egypt you knew. And no matter how much you might wish it to be... the past can never be again. Your daughter may be alive, but your country and your kinsmen have been gone for thousands of years. You can't keep mourning their deaths forever. That's no way for you to spend eternity._

A sudden sense of impending washed over Kyle, and he felt a distinct presence behind him an instant later. He whirled around–

And found himself face to face with a magician.

Kyle bared his teeth, hissed, and the Millennium Shield was sent to his right arm instinctively. He held it up to ward off the mage standing before him, ready to sheathe himself in a protective aura if necessary.

But, curiously, the mage seemed to harbor no particular emotion toward Kyle at all. He simply stood there, arms crossed and hidden within the folds of his dark robe, his expression unreadable. A long, tense moment passed between them as they maintained their positions with equal stubbornness.

Finally, the magician spoke. "Do you intend to send me to the Realm of Shadows?"

Kyle frowned, and shook his head. "No. Do you intend to do battle with me?"

"Not at all. My presence was requested. You wish to learn our ways."

The teen's frown deepened. "Who are you?"

"My name is Djeserkare, and I am descended of the mage clan whom you do battle with." The mage took one short step forward, and the mediocre rays of light creeping in through the doors speared through the shadows of his hood, to land on a lined tan face with a neatly trimmed salt-and-pepper beard. "Rather, I _was_ descended of them. I am no longer considered their kin."

Kyle blinked. "Why?"

"We may discuss this later." Djeserkare took another tentative step forward. "You have nothing to fear from me. I do not mean you harm, nor do I desire any item in your possession... not even that which you would defend yourself with."

"Forgive me if I say I find that hard to believe."

"I would expect nothing else from the one who carries it. Nevertheless, you desire a guide to our ways. I can be that guide, if you wish it." He held out a hand. "Take my hand, and I will assist you on your journey. I will teach you all you wish to know."

Kyle stared at the hand for a moment, still not letting his guard up. "Why should I trust you?"

"You have no reason to, therefore I do not expect you to do anything of the sort," Djeserkare promptly answered. "You believe it will not be easy, and that there will be great danger ahead. I tell you now, you are entirely correct. But you have already prepared for your journey. Will you be stopped by distrust of a man who, though descended of your enemy, has thus far done everything in his power to convince you he is not an obstacle to your goal?"

_**Kyle, you are right not to trust him. I do not trust him, either. Is there no one else your Isis Ishtar might have called upon for help?**_

_I don't know. But this man is clearly a magician. I may not trust him, but frankly, I don't know who else would be better to show us the traditions of the clan. And for all you know, he could be a descendant of yours._

That thought caused Kyle to ask aloud before his mind could even try to censor the question. "Are you a child of Abana?" he blurted.

At that, Djeserkare's brow shot up. "I say only that Abana is a name known to me."

_**He must tell us where she is!**_

The mage cut Kyle off before he could say as much. "You have two options. One is to choose not to take my hand. If you do not, you will have no better idea of my former clan's traditions and methods than before. I will not be able to answer any more of your questions. I will not be able to teach you as you must be taught. The other option is to take my hand... and with it, my offer to show you everything you both need and want to know."

Kyle sighed inwardly. _He's got us there. He won't just give us information. We have to earn it by doing this for him._

**_A trade, of sorts._** Theoris gave his version of a scoff. **_He is most certainly a magician._**

_There's nothing underhanded about it, Theoris. It's a fairer offer than most others his kind have made to us. So. What do you say? Are you ready to do what it takes to find your daughter?_

_**I am. The question is... can we really trust him?**_

_If you want to find Abana, we'll have to._

_**...Let it be done, then.**_

Kyle slowly let his arms drop to his sides, and he looked at Djeserkare a moment longer. There seemed to be no trace of deception in the magician's amber eyes. Instead, there was an openness – even a fire – that he'd not seen in any other mage thus far.

The teen finally gave a single nod.

And he reached out to take the mage's hand.

A sudden scraping sound on the floor to Kyle's right made him turn sharply in that direction.

Monica was standing there.

And she looked more lost and confused than he had ever seen her... not even when she'd first invaded his apartment that night, so long ago now, it seemed...

The expression on her face caused Kyle's heart to abruptly overflow with sadness.

Sadness, because he was leaving her behind.

He had to do it.

But that didn't mean he wanted to.

_I'm sorry..._

And then she, and the museum around him, and the sunlight, faded away.

Leaving the darkness to consume his body and soul.

–

"He's... he's gone." The words echoed in both the display room and Monica's ears, and refused to leave either location.

"With a magician," Jade added darkly.

Monica simply stared at the space the two men had somehow vacated. "He must have done it to protect us," she said. "He wanted to do it alone... so we wouldn't get hurt..."

She stared at the floor. "Nice try, Kyle... but it didn't work."

"Monica," Jade said after a moment, her voice carefully neutral, "we should go, or we'll get caught."

Monica nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, we should." She looked up at Jade. "We can't be here for him if we get put away."

"Right. It's early, but I'm not sure when the museum will open. I'd rather not be here when the curator comes in to work."

"Then I would suggest you leave this place before someone finds fit to arrest you."

A youthful Egyptian woman stepped through a nearby doorway and regarded the two duelists with a mixture of amusement and annoyance. "As much as we would like, we cannot keep the museum open every hour of every day... which is why locks exist, I believe."

Jade recognized her immediately from the Battle City coverage. "Miss Ishtar."

"Correct," the woman responded. "Now, allow me... you are both here because someone else was here first?"

Jade glanced sidelong at Monica.

Monica narrowed her eyes. "How did you know?"

Isis Ishtar gave the two a sympathetic look. "The younger one was your friend, was he not?"

Jade crossed her arms. "You know where they went," she accused. "Or you have some idea of it. Why else would they have been in here?"

"It does not matter," the older woman responded with a wave of her hand. "You cannot follow."

"Why not?" Monica demanded.

"Because it was his wish that no one else be involved in this battle. The mage understood, though he would have left a trail otherwise." Ms. Ishtar folded her hands in front of her. "Now, however... there can be no turning back for your friend. And there can be no advancement for you. He must see this quest through to the end, and he must do it alone."

"Next," Jade said sarcastically, "you'll tell us it's his destiny, right?"

Isis shook her head at this question. "That, I can no longer tell you. I do not know who is to win the fight. We must all hope and pray that he will gain the strength he needs from the lessons he is now to learn."

The Egyptian woman's expression changed slightly. "Perhaps your time would be better spent visiting your friend who still remains in the hospital."

Monica blinked. "Hospital?"

Jade stared at Isis. "You know... way too much," she said finally. "Monica, come on."

Intrigued, and now more anxious than ever, Monica followed Jade... if for nothing else, then to hurry away from the woman's piercing blue gaze.


	14. Stormfront

_A/N: No reviews, but then again, I'm writing this as much for my enjoyment as anything else. I like the story, and for those of you reading right now, I hope you do, as well. So, without further ado, Chapter 14 is here. Enjoy!_

* * *

Jade pulled away from the museum, moving out into the traffic which by now, was picking up. She glanced at Monica out of the corner of her eye, then looked back at the road. 

"What about a hospital?" Monica asked. "Who's hurt?"

Without looking at her, Jade replied, "Cody Smith."

Monica blinked. "Chubs? What happened to him?"

Jade chewed on her lower lip for a second, then decided that she should be able to tell Monica. "When your Blue-Eyes were stolen, the magicians divided them up and gave them to other duelists, orchestrating duels for Kyle to play. One ended up with Chubs. But the magicians didn't fight fair. They threatened to hang Chubs if Kyle won the duel."

"...I take it Kyle won, then."

"Yes. And so you are going to the hospital to visit him. But what happened to him isn't known except by Kyle, you, and me... and Chubs. When I was there, the police were still questioning. So play dumb."

Monica nodded, the thought of Chubs getting hurt like that whirling around in her mind like a tempest. _How many people have they hurt in their bid to get something that doesn't belong to them?_ "What about Zack? Is he okay?"

Jade looked surprised at the question. "Zack? As far as I know, yes. I dueled him early in Battle City."

Monica blinked. "Wow. I think this is the first time I've even bothered to worry about him."

Jade changed lanes, and made a left turn to pull into the parking lot. "He's on the fourth floor."

Monica nodded, then headed for the elevator and began the trek to the fourth floor – the Intensive Care Unit in this hospital. She approached the nurses' station and asked after his whereabouts. "Excuse me, can you tell me where to find Cody Smith?"

One of the nurses glanced up with a look of recognition – she knew which patient Monica was referring to. She pointed further up the hall Monica had been taking. "On the right side, number 415."

"Thanks." Monica went where she was instructed, and when she entered the room, it took a considerable degree of self-control to retain her initial reaction – which was to gasp in shock.

Chubs was lying on a bed that was slightly inclined, to allow for better breathing and spinal integration. His body was festooned with tubes and wires. The largest of these was the breathing tube that had been inserted directly into his lungs through his mouth. His neck was in a brace, so it was impossible to see its condition underneath.

"Oh... my God," she whispered, stepping to his side. "Chubs..."

His eyes were closed. His vital signs looked stable, but his breathing was slow and slightly shallow. There was no movement in him save for the steady rise and fall of his chest.

She carefully placed her hand atop his, and then patted it gently.

"Chubs... if you can hear me... I know Kyle didn't want this to happen. He could never have wanted it... you're his best friend..." She resisted an urge to pound her fist on the arm of his bed in frustration. "Don't blame him... please?"

Chubs didn't answer. He simply slept.

–

Monica returned to the parking deck, where Jade's car still waited. She couldn't be sure, but she thought she saw Jade reading a book as she approached.

"Is he awake yet?" Jade asked as Monica got into the car.

"No," Monica said. "And it doesn't look like he will be for a while. He's probably sedated because of that tube."

"Probably," Jade agreed, starting the car. "Now where?"

Monica pursed her lips as she considered for a moment. "I need to go to the hotel I was using for the tournament," she finally answered. "My luggage is there. So are all my spare cards. I'd just as soon not have to pay for their services, and tomorrow's the deadline for all duelists to leave."

Jade nodded. "Good idea. Anything else?"

Monica shook her head. "Then back to the motel. I can't think much beyond that. I don't want to go back to the States and leave Chubs here in Japan, but I don't know what else I would do here." She shrugged. "Maybe drop by a rental car place so you don't have to be my chauffeur."

"You're welcome to share the room if you like. And I don't mind driving. I'm in no huge hurry to go back to the States myself."

Monica blinked, and for the first time in a long time, she offered a smile. "Well, well... that wasn't what I'd expected from Kyle's cold and calculating competition."

"No, I don't suppose it was."

"Heh. Since you're offering... sure, I'll share the room. It'll at least cut the cost for both of us." Silence reigned in the car for several moments, and then Monica spoke once more. "I worked hard to get that Gate Guardian card for him."

Jade didn't respond, but the silence in the car turned almost brittle.

Noting the lack of response, Monica kept her eyes on the road. "But it was his to give to whom he chose. In a way, it's good to know it'll at least be safe. And well-treated." She offered Jade another awkward smile. "Not like the Blue-Eyes cards, huh?"

"I think they're as well-treated with you as they were with Seto Kaiba. Speaking of whom, did he ever get in contact with you about them?"

"No, never did. That puzzles me. Especially after that tabloid, I was sure he was going to come after me. He didn't get the chance in Battle City, of course, but I'd thought it would be much sooner than this."

The trip to the hotel was uneventful. Monica quickly removed her luggage from her room and checked out. She hadn't been exactly eager to re-enter the room she'd been abducted from, but there was no trace of that confrontation now. The bed had been carefully re-made, the trash taken out, all her luggage placed in the same general area.

Upon returning to the motel room, Monica found that the red light on the phone was blinking. She glanced at Jade. "Strange... did anyone know you were here besides the personnel?"

Jade shook her head. "No," she said, perplexed. "Even if they did, who would call?" She lifted the receiver and put it to her ear.

The voice coming from the receiver was unmistakable – full of arrogance and supreme confidence. _"This message is intended for Kyle McCraine. While I did not expect you to have the courage to show up at the Battle City finals, I do expect you to take me seriously. Either you have the Blue-Eyes White Dragon cards I desire, or someone else does. Whichever it is, I want the current controller of those cards to return this call as soon as humanly possible... otherwise I will hold McCraine accountable, and punishment will be dealt accordingly. You may receive the return number for this call at the lobby of your pathetic living quarters. Oh, and have a nice day."_

Jade blinked, hit the speaker phone, and replayed the message so that Monica could hear it.

A crease formed and deepened in Monica's brow with each passing second as the message replayed. She repressed another violent urge – this one involving the phone and the window – and instead looked to Jade. "I think this is a problem."

"That might be putting it lightly. What are you going to do?" Jade answered.

"I'm going to return his call." Monica picked up the phone. "I'm not going to have Kyle held responsible when I was the one who's had them all this time."

"I want to know how Seto Kaiba knew to call here, to leave a message for Kyle. The room's in my name."

Monica shrugged. "How should I know? You're the one who downright creepy with how much information she's got, not me."

"Yeah, well, between Ishtar and Kaiba, I'm feeling a little less unique."

"Hardly. You're still one-of-a-kind. I'm sure you could do the same as Kaiba if you really wanted to. Difference is that you've got no reason to toy with everyone you meet. And than makes you more exceptional than Kaiba." Monica dialed the lobby.

"Yes, hello? This is room 14, we got a call from Kaiba Corporation... yes... yes. Thank you." Monica took a pen and scribbled the phone number down. "One five? Two fives? Make up your mind, lady... one-five – oh I get it. Okay. Thank you. Bye."

Jade raised an eyebrow.

"I've met Russian bellhops who could speak better English," Monica scoffed. "Why do I get the feeling Kaiba will want to challenge me to a duel?"

"That does seem to be his preferred method," Jade commented, sitting down on the bed. "I don't suppose, if you're going to call him now, that you'd put the call on the speaker?"

It was Monica's turn to raise an eyebrow. "You're wanting to know what he's up to?"

"If you don't have any objections..."

"Oh, no, hardly. Might be better, actually, to have someone else listening in." Monica activated the speaker phone and dialed the number she'd been given.

Several rings went by, and then there was a click. "Kaiba Seto."

"This is Monica Zocallos. I'm the current owner of the Blue-Eyes White Dragons."

_"Ah."_ Monica and Jade could hear Kaiba's lips curling into a grin. _"Mr. McCraine has been bested after all?"_

"Mr. McCraine has been enormously generous in returning to me what was mine before Battle City."

_"As you wish. Ms. Zocallos, I am a busy man, so let us not waste time. I hereby challenge you to a duel."_

"Knew it," she muttered, glancing back at Jade, who nodded. "First thing's first – how did you know to call this number?"

"_KaibaCorp has extremely accurate tracking devices, Ms. Zocallos, most notably the ones built into our duel disks. McCraine's duel disk is currently located in a rental car whose license plate number was registered to that motel. Cross-referencing with motel records gave me this number. Anything else, or shall we get back to business?"_

Monica raised an eyebrow at Jade for a moment, as if to indicate the Spellcaster duelist had her answer, then shrugged. "Okay, fine. You want a duel. What'll the stakes be?"

_"The Blue-Eyes White Dragon cards and Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon card currently in your control. As you may or may not know, McCraine refused me the right to duel during Battle City even though this was a violation of the rules. My patience has run out. If you do not accept this challenge, I can make life very hard for both you and McCraine."_

"I don't take kindly to threats, Mr. Kaiba."

_"Then accept."_

"You haven't yet told me what you're offering if I win."

_"The concept is laughable. But very well. If you win, I will grant you access to KaibaCorp's considerable Duel Monsters card database and allow you four cards of your choice – one for each Blue-Eyes."_

Monica rolled her eyes. "And if I lose, you'll claim the Blue-Eyes cards in my possession as your prize, is that it?"

_"Exactly. Do you accept my challenge?"_

Monica shot a glance at Jade, then looked back at the phone. "Yes, I'll accept."

_"I knew you would see things my way. Come to Kaiba Corporation Headquarters this evening at five o'clock. I will be waiting."_

_Click._

Monica blew out her breath and looked back up at Jade. "Well. That was interesting. But he's given me an idea..."

Jade arched an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"Kaiba said he tracked Kyle's duel disk to your car. Maybe he can do the same with the disk Kyle was wearing when we last saw him."

Jade shook her head. "That one was off the shelf of a convenience store, never registered. KaibaCorp would have no idea which one to look for."

Monica harrumphed. "Well, there goes that idea." She made her way over to Kyle's bed – now her bed, and pulled out her deck and duel disk. "The Blue-Eyes are always welcome to come back into my deck, of course. They're going to end up being my primary advantage. I'll use mine..." Her face contorted. "But Kaiba will most definitely use his, too."

"The ones he had printed after those were stolen," Jade clarified. "Must be nice to have any card you want printed."

"Max Pegasus would know." Monica scanned through her deck.

"True."

After a few moments, Monica huffed. "Come to think of it... I really wouldn't mind it if my deck received a modest boost before going up against one of the greatest duelists in the world. Do you know anywhere nearby I could get some cards?"

"Well," Jade said after a moment, "Now that you mention it..."

–

When the car pulled up to the store, Monica took one look at the shape of the dome above it and gave Jade a look.

Defensively, Jade said, "Don't look at me like that. It's supposed to be a turtle on the roof. Turtle Game Shop, see?"

"Hmm." Monica kept an eyebrow raised as they got out of the car and entered the store.

The old man behind the cash register smiled at the two duelists, and gave a nod to Jade. "Let me guess... you couldn't stay away from my charms," he chuckled.

"That's it," Jade replied with a perfectly straight face. "I've just got a thing for charming older men."

"Well, in that case, perhaps I can charm you into some recent acquisitions?" He gestured to a pair of yet-unopened boxes on his counter.

Jade glanced sidelong at Monica, deciding to let her figure out the significance of this shop on her own. "Certainly. What have you got today?"

"Some new booster packs that just arrived this morning in this box... and specific cards in this one, for those who don't like not knowing what they're getting." He offered her a smile. "As I understand it there are even some new Spellcaster-oriented cards to consider."

"I take it you've met," Monica said.

"Kyle and I came here once before," Jade replied, and then, "And I prefer specifics... Spellcaster specifics, of course."

The salesman nodded. "Of course." He turned to Monica. "And how about you? Would you care to take a look at the collection?"

"That's what I'm here for," she nodded.

"Specifics or boosters?"

"Specifics, for now, thanks. I'm into Dragon-Types."

At that, the salesman's expression changed. "Ah-ha," he said, stroking his beard. "Now that... is very interesting. Just a moment."

Jade grinned at Monica. "Like the shop?"

"It's very... personal," Monica answered, looking around. "Very comfy... but it also feels like I'm invading someone's home."

Jade continued to smile.

Monica caught the grin. She found it to be infectious. "What? Am I missing something?"

"Monica," Jade said, immensely amused, "look around."

"Um... okay..." Monica's eyes scanned the area, though now she knew it wasn't cards she was looking for... she knew that suspense tactic quite well. They flashed over pictures on the walls, pictures of a kid with bizarre dark hair contrasted with a few unruly blond locks–

"Oh!" She twisted around and looked at Jade, who was still sporting the same smile. "This is _his_ house?"

Jade only chuckled.

"Jeez..." Monica's ears turned pink. "Now I _really_ feel like an invader..."

"Nonsense!" The salesman strolled back into the waiting room with a pair of binders, one for each duelist's specialization. "You're welcome here anytime. This is a business, after all."

"When you get a chance, could you tell your grandson we said congratulations on Battle City?" Jade asked, opening up the purple binder labeled Spellcasters.

"Certainly. For a while there, even I was uncertain about what would happen." He handed Monica the blue binder with the Dragons label. "But he is quite strong. And a little bit of luck now and then never hurts."

After a few moments of browsing the folder, Jade commented dryly, "I'm not sure I brought enough money."

"As I recall, that was your concern yesterday," he commented.

"And you haven't changed your mind about shipping internationally?"

He chuckled. "Not economic."

Still, Jade refused to give up. "What about shipping to, ah, select and well-paying customers?"

At that, he guffawed. "My dear, you are awfully stubborn. I like that. But I'm afraid I can't make any exceptions."

With a few token grumbles, Jade started removing cards from the binder and laying them aside. "Had to try. Find anything over there?" she directed the last part towards Monica.

As if on cue, Monica let out a squeak of delight. "You have a Kaiser Glider! I've been looking for one of those!"

"Ah, yes," the salesman chuckled. "I understand that is a particular favorite among Dragon duelists. A few duelists will even use it as an off-type advantage."

"Well, this is right on-type," she grinned.

"Mm. What of this one?" The salesman pointed to another card. "Tri-Horned Dragon? It's extremely powerful, rather hard to come across... and I'm willing to sell it. For the right price, of course."

Monica chewed her lip uncertainly, however, upon sight of the monster, and she glanced up at Jade.

"And what would be the right price?" Jade inquired.

The salesman named a figure that, considering the exchange rate, sounded reasonable enough. Monica shook her head. "The price isn't really the problem, it's just... I have a friend with that card and it might feel wrong."

"You've used... duplicate cards... before, Monica," Jade judiciously pointed out.

"Yeah, but not to duplicate the tendencies of someone I care about." She cocked her head at the card. "Well... I can at least think about it."

"Hey, doesn't this one have – oh. Thank you," Jade said, as the shopkeeper put down a magic and trap binder next to the Spellcaster one, already opened to the page she had been about to mention.

Monica grinned. "Looks like he's got your number."

"Perhaps I'm getting predictable."

"Maybe." Monica considered for a few moments. "Maybe what I need is a change in deck concept. Make Dragon-Types the base, but use another main type just in case I need it."

"Themed decks are extremely difficult to maintain," Jade said, "And you know I speak from experience. With them, you miss out on a lot of very beneficial monsters. How many times could I have used a Cyber Jar, for example. My deck's worst nightmare is a Regulation of Tribe. But it's also got a lot of strength."

"Because you can use specialized equip cards and field cards with impunity."

"Exactly. Among other effects."

"Hm. I may need a Warrior folder, then."

"And here one is," the salesman supplemented, not three seconds later handing Monica a brown binder.

Jade turned back to the pair of binders in front of her, then added two more cards to her steadily growing pile.

Monica began going through the folders with a little more vigor as she tried to determine what exactly she wanted. When she closed the Warrior binder, she'd gained a sizeable stack of cards, and her Dragon pile was hardly low, either. "I think I've got all the monsters I need... ah, thank you," she said, as the salesman smilingly handed her magic and trap binders.

The two girls spent nearly another half hour bent over folder after folder, perusing cards like there was no tomorrow. For all they knew, there wouldn't be one anyway.


	15. Masters of Dragons I

_A/N: I think it's a matter of some note that this is the 100th chapter I've written for the Shielded Destiny series. That's right, one hundred chapters - and more - for this arc, and I'm not about to stop now. Soon enough I'll get to the point when I'm updating this story more than once a week. I've got a ton yet to use, and I think you'll enjoy it. For now, however, I hope you'll be patient with me as I connect "here" to "there". In the meantime, enjoy this... the first, and quite possibly the only duel with a canon character. About time, huh?_

_Ankhutenshi: I say he should get glomped all the time._

_Wolf: It's true, it seems that some people just kind of forget about Chubs - when he was the first friend Kyle made. But it's hard not to push him to the side, considering the other goings-on. As to the canon characters, thanks - I do try to stay true to them. And I like to think Grandpa would want people like Jade and Monica - I think they're called paying customers - to think of the place more as a quaint little shop than the imposing home of the King of Games._

_Lumen: Yeah, probably been waiting a while, right? S'okay, I'll be updating a little more regularly. And yes, I do try to make sure the action "elsewhere" isn't missed. Hence this chapter. Hope you enjoy._

* * *

Jade's car pulled up to the KaibaCorp HQ a full ten minutes early. 

Kaiba was still out there to greet them.

Monica took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly and smiled awkwardly. "I'd ask you to wish me luck, but with the stakes he's got going, the only way I'm going to manage to get the best deal is through a draw."

"Good luck, regardless," Jade said. As Monica opened the door, she added, "About what you said in the motel... thanks."

Monica smiled and nodded. Then she got out and made her way toward Kaiba. _Time to face the music._

She warily approached the multi-billionaire mogul standing at the top of the KaibaCorp main stairway. The man was imposing, no doubts of that - from his tailored white trenchcoat that flapped in the slightest breeze, to his piercing blue scowl, to even the duel disk on his arm (which looked as though it had been sharpened by the executioner), he exuded condescension. And there was also his height to consider; this, Monica found to be rather unusual for a native of Japan, based on those she had already met. _Yugi Motou is barely half this guy's height. Kaiba could have just squashed the kid underfoot for the Battle City crown!_

"Finally we meet," he grumbled. "I have been waiting for this moment for a long time... the day I at last reclaim my Blue-Eyes White Dragons."

"Are you forgetting the three you replaced them with?" she responded. "Just show me where we're dueling. We'll let fate decide who wins."

His response was to scowl even more. "I do not believe in fate!" he barked. "Remember that; I will not say it again."

She blinked. "Okay, okay... jeez. Let's just duel and get it overwith. We both have things we'd rather be doing, I'm sure."

"You, perhaps." He briskly turned toward the headquarters. "But I cannot imagine anything I would rather do right now."

He strode through the entryway. Monica followed a few steps after, careful not to step on the hem of Kaiba's coat. But they had barely made it across the expansive lobby before a loud sneeze caused the tall Japanese teen to whirl to one side. Monica glanced in the same direction; the sneeze had come from a boy who seemed barely in his teens. He had unruly black hair that tumbled down his back, and he was bunching his heavy yellow vest around him as though it were a lifeline. He sniffled. "Nii-sama..."

Monica blinked again. _That term means 'brother'. Mokuba Kaiba?_

As if to confirm her suspicions, the elder Kaiba narrowed his eyes and shook his head in disappointment at the boy. "Mokuba..." He spoke a few sentences in Japanese; what Monica was able to pick up wasn't exactly encouraging. Something about, "Should have worn a coat."

The younger boy shivered and sneezed again in reply. "Gomen nasai, 'nii-sama..."

Kaiba shook his head again, then knelt down to meet his younger brother eye-to-eye. Another string of sentences passed between the two. She couldn't make out much, other than "doctor" and "cold". Then she raised her eyebrows as she watched the elder Kaiba remove his duel disk from his arm; he then took off his cape-like coat and wrapped it around the boy's shoulders.

The boy settled into the folds of the coat and smiled at his brother. "Arigatou gozaimasu, 'nii-sama!"

Kaiba simply nodded in response, then put his duel disk back on and turned to face Monica again. Only now did she realize his coat had no sleeves; the ones he'd been wearing were part of his black turtleneck. His scowl returned at her expression. "What are you staring at?" he demanded.

"Uh, nothing," she answered. "That was... nice of you."

He scoffed. "Let's go." And without further ado, he led Monica to an elevator that took both of them into the upper levels of KaibaCorp headquarters. She watched him contemplatively during the ride. _Wow. So he actually has someone to care about. I'd have never guessed. Always comes off as an arrogant ass – I'd always thought he acted like that to everybody. Go figure._

They arrived at their exit on the 25th floor, and the doors slid opened into a large room of polished metal and halogen lamps that shone from every corner. The glimmering hurt Monica's eyes, but she determined to get herself acquainted with it.

"This is normally the arena in which I test my decks against each other," Kaiba stated. "It was from here that my Blue-Eyes White Dragons were stolen. Of course, the security has been sufficiently increased since then."

"Of course," Monica muttered. She glanced around the room; it was tall and oblong, with a control booth high and to the right side. On the far wall sat what Monica could only describe as a perversion of the Wheel of Fortune; six card-shaped slots sat in it, all empty at the moment, and a diamond-shaped anchor dangled the wheel from the wall. Set into the anchor was a Life Point counter and eleven card readers – ten arranged in two rows of five, plus one to the left side of the rows. _Monster zones, magic/trap zones, field card zone_, Monica thought.

Kaiba tapped a series of commands into a control panel set into the wall nearby. The dueling computer wheel sank into the wall behind it, and a thin metal door slid closed to conceal it.

"Hopefully you'll provide a challenge for me equivalent to the computer." He scoffed again. "But somehow I doubt it."

Her eyes narrowed. _There's only so much insulting I can take._ "Bring it on, tough guy." She took up stance at the dueling wheel's end of the mini-arena.

Kaiba offered her a malicious grin. "I can defeat the likes of Yugi Motou. Surely I can do it with you."

"How quickly you forget the results of the Battle City tournament," she retorted. "Let's duel."

With that statement, they simultaneously extended their arms and fired their duel disks' holoprojectors.

The game was on.

Kaiba drew five cards, then sneered. "I'll go first." After drawing his sixth card, he announced, "I place one card face-down, and then summon Vorse Raider (1900/1200) in attack mode."

A drooling beast carrying a vicious dual-ended axe appeared and growled menacingly at Monica. "That's all for now."

_He's probably going to try to delay me as much as possible so he can break out a Blue-Eyes._ Monica drew her sixth card. _Best to disrupt that strategy from the get-go._ "I play Prohibition!" she declared, and accordingly, a magic card appeared next to her, hovering upright. "As long as this card is in play, I can prevent any one card from being played. And the card name I'm choosing is Blue-Eyes White Dragon."

Kaiba scowled. "You're afraid of my Blue-Eyes."

"If I'm gonna play by your rules, you'll have to play by mine, too. Next, I place one card face-down, and play Graceful Charity." She drew three cards, then hummed. _Well, I don't want to toss any of them, but..._ "I'll get rid of Thunder Dragon and Red-Eyes Black Dragon."

He laughed aloud. "You discarded a Thunder Dragon when you could have drawn two more instead? How pathetic."

"I didn't say I was done, so quiet down over there. Now I play Cave Dragon (2000/100) in attack mode." Accordingly, a large, green-scaled dragon appeared in front of her. "Too bad I can't attack with him until I get another dragon on the field. As it is, my turn's finished, so back to you."

Kaiba drew. "I don't need my Blue-Eyes to take you down. I sacrifice Vorse Raider to summon Kaiser Glider (2400/2000) in attack mode." A gold-plated dragon took Vorse Raider's place on the field, and its burning red eyes stared at Monica's field.

Monica, for her part, winced inwardly. _Kaiser Glider automatically wins any battle with other monsters of equal attack strength, and even if I find a way to destroy it, once it's sent to the graveyard, it'll send one of my monsters back to my hand._

"Kaiser Glider, destroy Cave Dragon!"

Kaiba's dragon let loose a golden trail of flame that wreathed around Cave Dragon and incinerated it. Monica grimaced as her Life Points were reduced to 3600.

"I end my turn," Kaiba sniffed.

Monica drew, then said, "I play Warrior Dai Grepher (1700/1600) in attack mode." A battle-ready soldier wielding a glowing sword took up stance on her field. "But obviously, he's not strong enough to take on your Kaiser Glider, so I play Tribute Doll to promptly sacrifice him from my field; in exchange, I get to special summon a Level 7 monster from my hand. And I choose Hyozanryu (2100/2800) in defense mode."

Her warrior vanished and was replaced by her favorite monster, a sparkling dragon composed of ivory, topaz, and diamond. Its sapphire eyes glinted at Kaiba's field as it curled its huge crystalline wings into a protective position. Monica grinned at Hyozanryu. "I think that should do for now. End turn."

"Hmph. I draw." Kaiba's eyes flashed. "I play X-Head Cannon (1800/1500) in attack mode, and end my turn." He'd barely completed his sentence before a hovering machine possessed of two advanced shoulder-mounted laser cannons appeared next to Kaiser Glider.

_Trying to goad me into attacking with Hyozanryu, which I can't afford._ She drew her next card. _But maybe this'll help._ "I play Pot of Greed," she announced, and after drawing her next two cards, she found herself more satisfied. "Then I activate my Call of the Haunted trap card, to revive a monster in attack mode. And I'm choosing the Thunder Dragon (1600/1500) I discarded earlier."

Kaiba narrowed his eyes. "There's only one reason you would revive such a useless monster..."

"Because he's not going to be useless much longer," she supplemented. "I play Polymerization, to fuse the Thunder Dragon on my field with the one in my hand, so I can summon Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon (2800/2100) in attack mode!"

The images of identical green dragons swirled around each other, and when the image began to twist in reverse, there was a reddish, two-mouthed dragon on a pair of spindly legs to show for it.

"I suppose I should ask... are fusion monsters allowed to attack during the turn they're summoned?" she inquired.

"They are."

"Good. In that case, Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon, attack X-Head Cannon."

Kaiba scoffed. "That's not going to happen. Activate Shadow Spell!" A series of black chains lashed out from the trap card now flipping up, and they wrapped about Monica's dragon. "As long as this card is in play, your dragon loses 700 attack points, and it can't attack or change its battle position."

Accordingly, Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon's attack factor scrolled down to 2100 before Monica's eyes. She scowled. _Great. Now it's just attack fodder for his Kaiser Glider. On the other hand, I did force him to use up a trap..._ "In that case, I place one card face-down and end my turn." _That clears out my hand, so I'd better be able to protect myself until I get a new one._

"Hnh. My move." Kaiba drew. "And for it, I play Y-Dragon Head (1500/1600). Then, I combine my X-Head Cannon and Y-Dragon Head to form a new monster!" As he spoke, the two machines moved to the same monster zone, and X-Head Cannon latched its lower hub into an open port on Y-Dragon Head's dorsal.

"Now you have XY-Dragon Cannon (2200/1900) to contend with," Kaiba declared. "And not only that, but its special ability, as well... for when I discard one card from my hand, I can destroy any face-up magic or trap card I choose. And I discard Ryu-Kishin Powered to destroy your Prohibition card!"

Spears of energy lanced from the various cannons mounted on Kaiba's machine monster and struck Prohibition. Immediately the holographic image shattered, leaving Monica to grouse over the loss of her strategy. _I didn't want us playing Blue-Eyes!_

"Kaiser Glider, destroy Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon!" Kaiba commanded, and another gout of gold fire seared across the field to engulf her monster.

But as her dragon vanished under the attack, Monica responded, "Activate Michizure! I destroy your XY-Dragon Cannon!" Her trap flipped up, and a pair of gigantic arms extended from it to grab the machine monster and pull it into the depths from which the arms had come. Nevertheless, her Life Points dropped to 3300.

Kaiba glared at her, no doubt more furious than ever that his plans had been foiled yet again. "I end my turn."

_I've gotta come up with something fast..._ Monica drew her next card, and grinned. _Goody. This is just what I need to turn things around._ "I switch Hyozanryu to attack mode, and then I play Different Dimension Warrior Lady (1500/1600) in attack mode!" The Duel Monster that appeared on Monica's field was a female warrior dressed in light black armor and carried a blue energy blade as her weapon of choice.

Kaiba glowered. "Just what do you think you're doing?"

"This. Warrior Lady, attack Kaiser Glider!"

The black-armored brunette charged across the field, bringing her short energy sword to bear on the massive dragon. The blade sank into Kaiser Glider's shoulder, but the dragon counterattacked by clamping its considerable jaws around Monica's warrior and nearly swallowing her whole. Monica's Life Points sank again, this time down to 2400.

And she was grinning.

Abruptly, blue electricity crackled from the open wound still on Kaiser Glider's shoulder, and it roared defiantly – but it could do nothing to stop the effect. It vanished from the field as quickly as it had appeared.

"I take it you're aware that when Different Dimension Warrior Lady goes into battle with another monster, even if she loses, her special effect allows her to remove herself and the opposing monster from the game," Monica said. "And the RFG is different from the graveyard, which means your Kaiser Glider doesn't get to take his effect – and that means Hyozanryu gets to stay on my field. Hyozanryu, attack his Life Points directly!"

The huge crystal dragon took flight in the small space, and rocketed across the field. Its topaz horn struck Kaiba in his chest, and he staggered from the hit, his Life Points simultaneously dropping to 1900.

_Ha. About time my Life Points were higher than his._ "And that ends my turn," she said.

Kaiba growled as he drew his next card. "You'll pay for that," he vowed. "I place one monster in defense mode and end my turn."

She drew. _He doesn't play face-downs just for kicks. But on the other hand, if I want to keep him from pulling Blue-Eyes out, I have to keep him from putting enough monsters on the field. Can't be afraid of what he's got._ "Hyozanryu, attack his face-down monster!"

Again, her favored dragon took flight and speared its horn into its target – which Monica could only groan at once she realized what it was. Kaiba, for his part, laughed. "No one attacks Cyber Jar (900/900) without a price... and your price is the loss of your Hyozanryu."

His monster shattered, as did hers; then, as per Cyber Jar's effect, they both drew five new cards. Kaiba declared, "By its effect, Cyber Jar gives me Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Paladin of White Dragon, Wall of Illusion (1000/1850), which I place in defense mode, Spear Dragon (1900/0), which will go to attack mode, and Pot of Greed."

Monica answered, "I got Witch of the Black Forest (1100/1200), to defense, Dragon Dwelling in the Cave (1300/2000), also to defense, Waboku, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, and Nightmare's Steelcage." She considered for a moment. _Still my turn... he's going to break out at least one Blue-Eyes next turn, if not two, and this is probably my only chance to get mine on the field._ "Since I have yet to normally summon a monster this turn, I sacrifice Witch of the Black Forest and Dragon Dwelling in the Cave to summon Blue-Eyes White Dragon (3000/2500) in attack mode."

Her two face-down monster cards became glowing white shards, which then merged together and formed the monster both duelists coveted. The ivory-plated dragon roared at Kaiba and his monsters.

"Too bad I can't attack anymore this turn," Monica continued. "But by Witch's effect, I get another monster into my hand. And I'm also placing one card face-down, which'll end my turn."

Kaiba looked livid, but he drew his next card in silence. "I play Pot of Greed," he said, and after drawing two cards, he continued, "and then I play White Dragon Ritual. I sacrifice La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp from my hand so I can summon Paladin of White Dragon (1900/1200) in attack mode."

The Duel Monster that appeared then was actually two in one, reminiscent of Alligator's Sword Dragon – specifically, it was a blue-armored warrior atop the back of what looked to be an extremely ugly baby version of Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

"But since he's obviously not as powerful as _your_ monster," Kaiba continued, apparently deigning to not even acknowledge the name, "I'll trade him in to special summon Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my deck!"

Immediately, Kaiba's Paladin vanished and an identical version of Monica's Blue-Eyes took up position on his field. Now he was looking more gratified, more in his element. "It can't attack this turn, but I won't need it to. Next, I sacrifice my Spear Dragon and Wall of Illusion to summon my second Blue-Eyes!"

As with Monica's monsters, Kaiba's vanished into white nothingness and were replaced by the third Blue-Eyes White Dragon to grace the field.

_And the battle of the Blue-Eyes White Dragons begins_.


	16. Masters of Dragons II

_A/N: I'll just get right to it this time around, since there are no reviews to respond to. I present to you Chapter 16 for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!_

* * *

Kaiba's LP – 1900

Monica's LP – 2400

–

"Finally, we can settle this dispute once and for all," Kaiba stated. "I'm the rightful owner of the Blue-Eyes White Dragons, not you. And if that means giving all I've got to get them back, then so be it."

He extended one hand to the Blue-Eyes he'd just sacrificed two monsters for. "This one, unlike its brother, can attack this turn, and I fully intend it to – even to its own destruction. Blue-Eyes, send that dragon to the graveyard!"

Monica wasn't surprised by the move. _He's as ruthless as they come. Also cunning... he doesn't have anything better to destroy my Blue-Eyes with than his own. He can't afford to wait for his third dragon or Polymerization. But I can._ "Activate Waboku!" she answered, and a cadre of blue-robed spellcasters moved to block the burst of white lightning.

Kaiba ground his teeth. "Very well, I end my turn."

_And now let's see if I can squeeze a couple more turns out of this thing._ Monica drew her next card, then announced, "I activate Nightmare's Steelcage."

Instantly, a hemispherical cage of gridded steel and festooned with long spikes on the outside manifested around Kaiba and his monsters. He growled. "You're only preventing the inevitable. So what if I can't attack for two turns? Neither can you."

"True, but by the time those two turns are up, I expect to at least have more control over the duel," she responded smoothly. "Then I place one card face-down, and end my turn."

"I draw," Kaiba announced, but he found himself interrupted by his opponent.

"Activate Jar of Greed," Monica declared, and the trap card she'd placed the previous turn revealed itself.

"One extra card won't make any difference," Kaiba snorted. "I place one monster in defense mode and end my turn."

Monica smirked as she drew her next card. "I might disagree with you... one extra card might make _all _the difference. And this certainly makes a difference – I play Snatch Steal to gain control of one of your Blue-Eyes!"

The equipment magic card appeared on her field, and a thin tendril of energy snaked across and snared the Blue-Eyes Kaiba had tried to attack with on his previous turn. The massive dragon was pulled through the bars blocking both of them from attacking, over to Monica's side.

Kaiba's eyes widened. "You...!"

"Ah-ah, no name-calling, now," she admonished. "If you're half the duelist you claim to be, you'll figure out a way to counteract the effect. If not, then eventually I'm going to summon Ultimate Dragon with one of _your _Blue-Eyes, and you'll be out of luck."

"That won't happen so easily," he answered.

"We'll see. I end my turn, and fortunately for you, you'll gain a thousand Life Points after you draw. Think of it as a peace offering."

"Forget it," he scoffed, even as his Life Points ascended to 2900. "But indeed, I _do _have a way of countering Snatch Steal's effect. I summon Lord of Dragons (1200/1000) in defense mode!"

The one spellcaster both of them were intimately familiar with appeared on the field, his black robes contrasting against the dragon bones that constituted his armor. "If _you're _half the duelist _you _claim to be, you'd know that as long as he's on the field, the effects of all cards that target any dragons are negated."

"Negated, yes," Monica admitted, as Kaiba's stolen Blue-Eyes returned to his side of the field. It phased back through the cage still surrounding its owner. "But continuous cards and equipment cards aren't destroyed. Snatch Steal will remain attached to your Blue-Eyes until you can actually destroy it."

"Which won't be a problem," Kaiba snapped.

"Oh, really? Maybe you've miscounted how many turns Steelcage takes? You're on your second one, and that cage will fall once you finish your turn out."

He scowled at her. "We'll see what happens. I end my turn."

Abruptly, the grid around him vanished, causing Monica to grin as she drew her next card. "With that, your Lord becomes vulnerable again. Allow me to alleviate you of that problem. Blue-Eyes White Dragon, destroy Lord of Dragons!"

Another blast of white lightning flew across the field, and this time it was uninterrupted – Lord of Dragons was obliterated by the hit.

"And now Snatch Steal's effect is reinstated," she continued, and once again, Kaiba's equipped Blue-Eyes crossed the field to join her team. _I could just tell the snatched Blue-Eyes to attack the other one, and that would probably keep him from pulling out his own Ultimate Dragon, but if I've got a chance at winning, I have to give this duel everything I've got. Which means I have to bring mine out._

"And now I play Card of Sanctity!" she declared. "We both draw until we each have 6 cards in hand." She drew four new cards, while Kaiba silently drew three.

_Yes! _She grinned more widely. "About time. I play Polymerization, to fuse the two Blue-Eyes on my field with the one in my hand!"

The images of the three Blue-Eyes in her immediate possession appeared on her field, all three seeming rather crowded by the confining space of the oblong arena. Yellow vein-like light crackled across their forms, splintering them, and then all three shattered – the shards then re-formed themselves, fusing into a single monster that both duelists knew to both love and fear...

"Say hello to my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon (4500/3800)!" she declared.

Kaiba was grinding his teeth angrily. "This can't be happening... I was supposed to summon mine first!"

"What a shame, I beat you to it," she answered nonchalantly. "But your saving grace is that I can't attack with it this turn. You've got one turn to get yourself out of this and then the carnage begins. End turn."

"Carnage? Just wait until you see what I have in store," he blustered, drawing his next card. "I place one monster in defense mode, and then one card face-down. End turn."

_Didn't even bother putting his remaining Blue-Eyes in defense mode. The card he put down will probably stop my attack, but I have to try anyway._ She drew her next card, then ordered, "Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, attack Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

Her three-headed beast's triplet mouths gathered the energy for its patented Neutron Blast attack, but as the three great blasts of pure energy were unleashed, Kaiba shouted, "I activate Negate Attack!"

A swirling vortex appeared in front of his Blue-Eyes, and the three streams of lightning were caught up inside it and sent into nothingness – thus momentarily protecting his monster and his Life Points.

Monica nodded in acquiescence. _He can't be taken down that easily. He's too good a duelist for that, and has too good a deck._ "I place one card face-down and end turn, then."

Kaiba drew his next card – and began laughing, though from insanity or relief, Monica wasn't sure at first. Then she became convinced it was both, as he declared, "I play Monster Reborn to revive the Blue-Eyes you stole from me!"

Kaiba's second Blue-Eyes reappeared on his field, opposite his first and the two monsters he'd placed face-down since. _There might be an advantage there... but I have to focus on what's happening right now. He wouldn't have brought back his second Blue-Eyes for nothing._

Monica's suspicions were proven correct as her opponent continued, "And now I play Polymerization, to create my _own_ Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"

In identical fashion, his Ultimate Dragon appeared on the field and stared down the one on Monica's.

"You're a worthy opponent," he said. "Other than Yugi, it's been a while since I had one of those. But now, the game must come to an end. I reveal my face-down Goblin Attack Force (2300/0) and Battle Ox (1700/1000)!"

These were monsters Monica was already familiar with – one she'd seen him play several times already, the other was one she used herself on occasion. _He's going on a suicide run. A tactic worthy only of him. And fortunately, one I was expecting._ "Good, that means I'll have an opening into your Life Points next turn. Activate Enemy Controller!"

"What!" Kaiba spluttered.

"You heard me. And the monster I'm targeting is your Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"

Her card was one Kaiba was already familiar with; the quick-play magic card flipped up and revealed a picture of some type of video game system control pad. From that picture shot the plug end of the control, and it struck his Ultimate Dragon right in its center – and as unbelievable as it might have seemed to the average duelist walking by, Kaiba's Ultimate Dragon was forced into defense mode.

The billionaire growled, but there was little he could do. "Fine. I place one card face-down and end my turn."

"I thought you might say that." She smirked and drew her next card. "This should do quite nicely. I place one card face-down. Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, attack Battle Ox!"

Instantly, three energy beams erupted from her monster and washed over Kaiba's exposed monster; Battle Ox could have conceivably been destroyed almost three times over with that strike, and as it was, Kaiba's Life Points descended from 2900 to 100.

The business-savvy CEO gnashed his teeth in frustration. "I will _not_ be defeated like this!" he nearly shouted. "Not by _my own cards_!"

"They're not yours anymore, remember?" she remarked. "And if you keep dueling like this, they never will be again. My turn's finished."

Kaiba drew his next card, then said, "I can _guarantee_ you they will be mine again, Zocallos. I shift Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon back to attack position." He thrust a finger towards Monica's dragon. "Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, destroy her monster!"

This time, his monster attacked with three furious streams of energy. Hers counterattacked with the same ferocity; the energy play was both captivating and blinding, and both Kaiba and Monica were thrown back by the shockwaves as both Ultimate Dragons were annihilated.

When her vision cleared, she was just in time to see Kaiba pointing vengefully at her. "Now, Goblin Attack Force, attack her Life Points directly!"

She shook her head. "Have you forgotten I still have one card on my field? I haven't... and I'm going to put it to use. Activate Rope of Life!"

The trap flipped over, but remained horizontal on the field. The picture blacked out, and a rope with a lasso at one end rose from it. At the same time, Monica explained, "By discarding my entire hand, like so–" She performed the required action. "–I can revive the monster that was just sent to my graveyard and increase its attack power by 800."

Her Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon was roped by the lasso and brought back to her field, now with an attack factor of 5300. She smiled at it, pleased with herself. "Maybe you'd like to recall that attack?"

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Have it your way. But in the meantime, I place one card face-down and end my turn. And I promise you, your next one _will_ be the final turn of this duel. And I will win."

"Not likely, since you don't have what you need in order to take on my Ultimate Dragon," she replied, drawing as she spoke. "But I have what I need to take on your Goblin Attack Force. Don't worry, I'll treat the Blue-Eyes cards with as much respect as you would."

"You won't have the chance!" Kaiba retorted, and he pressed one of his m/t buttons. "I activate the trap card Last Turn! Here's how it works – I choose one monster on my side of the field, and all other cards in our hands and on the field go to the graveyard. Then you choose a monster from your deck and special summon it. You have to attack my monster with yours, and whoever has a monster left standing at the end of the turn is the winner."

Monica blinked. "What good does that do? Surely you don't think I don't have anything in my deck stronger than your Goblin Attack Force."

"I'm fairly certain you do, but I don't intend Goblin Attack Force to be the monster you attack." Kaiba activated his final face-down card. "As you can see, I have an Enemy Controller as well!"

Monica winced. _He's not going to use the effect I used... he's going for the other one – he'll sacrifice his Goblin Attack Force so he can take control of my Ultimate Dragon! And I don't have anything that can beat it!_

"I tribute my Goblin Attack Force to take back Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" Kaiba declared smugly. "Suddenly an attack power of 5300 has become your enemy!"

_There's one good thing about this – an attack power of 5300 is meaningless, since Last Turn's effect cancels all Life Point damage_, she thought, even as her Ultimate Dragon crossed the field and settled into position by Kaiba's side. _Think, Monica, think..._ She looked through her deck desperately –

And then it came to her. _I don't have to beat Ultimate Dragon. I only have to beat Last Turn._ "I have my card," she said finally.

"Then let's see it!" Kaiba sneered.

"With pleasure. I summon Troop Dragon (700/800) in attack mode!"

The Duel Monster that materialized on her field was barely even tall enough to reach Ultimate Dragon's knees – were Ultimate Dragon on the ground, which it most definitely was not. It was a minuscule winged lizard carrying an even more minuscule spear.

Kaiba laughed aloud. "Ridiculous! You expect to beat a Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon with _that_! What an insult!"

Monica ignored the declaration. "Troop Dragon, attack Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"

To its credit, the little dragon complied with Monica's command, and floated up to meet the gargantuan beast head-on. It stabbed its tiny spear toward Ultimate Dragon's plated hide –

And didn't even make a dent.

The three-headed monster glanced down at its attacker, then offered a snort, and a triple-blast of white energy. Troop Dragon was incinerated on impact.

"I win!" Kaiba declared.

"Not quite," Monica answered.

And Troop Dragon reappeared on her field.

Kaiba's smile vanished. "What?"

"Apparently this dragon is too weak for your deck or your notice," Monica said, "because otherwise you would have known that when Troop Dragon is destroyed, another one is summoned in its place. I find it worthwhile when trying to avoid attacks... or effects that might otherwise cause me to lose."

He scowled. "I've still destroyed your monster."

"It's a bit more complex than that. At the end of this turn, there'll be two monsters on the field instead of one. Last Turn's effect says the controller of the monster that stands alone on the field at the end of the turn is the winner, but any other case – _any_ other case – results in a draw. Which means you don't win. And neither do I." She held up her duel disk to reveal its Life Point counter. "See?"

Her Life Points had scrolled down to 0.

Kaiba looked at his own duel disk – and the same number was glowing up at him.

Monica could feel a burst of elation bubbling up inside, but she pressed it down. _Dueling him to a standstill doesn't mean anything. He'll still demand the Blue-Eyes cards since I technically didn't beat him. Either that or he'll want to duel again._ She rolled her eyes at that possibility.

Kaiba glowered at his duel disk for a few moments, then back up at her. "A momentary slip in concentration," he finally said. "Nothing more. You did not defeat me."

"That's true, I didn't. But neither did I lose to you. And I don't intend to duel you again," she responded. "So we're going to have to figure out what to do now. Let's compromise."

"Negotiate, you mean." Kaiba scoffed. "What is it you want?"

"I'd like to keep the Blue-Eyes cards, to be honest with you," she said. "I think I've proven myself worthy of using them. But yes, we can negotiate, if you want them back that badly."

"I don't suppose you've been paying attention," he retorted. "I worked hard to acquire those cards. It is an insult to have them stolen from me and then dangled in front of me as bait."

"Relax. I can be persuaded to give them back, but I want something in return."

Monica distinctly heard a Japanese curse slip from under Kaiba's breath, but he seemed to calm down slightly. "Name it."

"You said you would give me access to this company's Duel Monsters card database if I won. And in addition, I would keep the Blue-Eyes cards, whereas if I lost the duel, I'd give up the Blue-Eyes cards and not see anything in your database. Let's do half and half. I'll give the cards back if you allow me access to the database."

Kaiba seemed to consider this prospect. At the same time, Monica was mentally kicking herself. _What am I doing! I want to keep the Blue-Eyes cards! Kyle gives them back to me just so **I** can give them back to **Kaiba**! ... But... if I can get something better, what does it matter? The Labyrinth Brothers are potentially the most powerful cards in Duel Monsters... they can reduce even Ultimate Dragon to nothingness... just maybe, there's something almost as good in the dragon area._

Finally, the teen mogul nodded once. "Agreed. But you must make your choices quickly. I cannot have you poking around the database all day."

"I can narrow down the search," she said. "I'm sure I won't be long. But I'm not giving up the Blue-Eyes cards until I receive the cards requested."

"I would expect nothing less," he answered.

-

Fifteen minutes later, Monica was perusing the considerable selection of cards on a computer screen, Kaiba standing just behind her. She had narrowed the search down to dragons, of course, preferably dragons with a comparable strength to Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

_There can't be all that many of those, though_, she thought. _Yamata Dragon, maybe, but Chubs already has that one..._

_...ooh. Chaos Emperor Dragon._

Monica pointed at the screen, tapping the selected monster. "I want three of that one," she proclaimed.

Kaiba scowled at her. "There are only three in existence right now. It won't be mass-produced for some time, and even then, it's meant to be extremely rare."

She brought up the image of another card. "And I want this one, too. Just one."

His scowl deepened. "You can_not_ be serious."

"All four, or I take off with the Blue-Eyes cards," she said, her tone adamant. "And then I'll tell the tabloids–"

"You'll tell them nothing," Kaiba interrupted, annoyed. "I have already been made a mockery in my own tournament, I will _not_ have my name further disgraced."

_How much more disgrace can his name carry, I wonder? _"So what'll it be, then?"

He sighed in obvious disgust. "Very well... and then give me the Blue-Eyes cards in your possession, and don't come back."

She decided not to remind him she'd been invited to KaibaCorp in the first place. _He's settling on these things – that's enough for me._

-

Monica stepped back out through the huge double-doors, and breathed the fresh air. "Ahh, that feels good," she said aloud.

Jade's white car was parked across the street, though it was empty. The green-eyed duelist, however, had not strayed too far away, and was walking back from further up the street. Monica stepped out onto the sidewalk and went out to meet Jade, happy to be feeling content about something today.

Jade had something wrapped in a napkin, which she held out. "Did you know they sell spring rolls like we sell hot dogs, right off the streets? Want one?"

"Hm, sure. Thanks." Monica took the spring roll and then took a small bite out of it, offering a smile to Jade as she did so.

"So?" Jade prompted, as they walked back towards the car.

"Draw," Monica responded, grinning from ear to ear. "I actually managed to duel Seto Kaiba to a standstill."

Jade stopped walking. "You're serious?" At Monica's grin, Jade laughed. "Amazing. So Kaiba got the Blue-Eyes? What did you get?"

"You wouldn't believe it, but I got three copies of a monster whose potential power is even greater." Monica picked the top card off her deck and held it out to Jade. "It's called Chaos Emperor Dragon - Envoy of the End. Long name, but the effect's well worth it."

"I'm not familiar with it," Jade admitted, taking the card. "Long effect, too."

"No one's familiar with it. For the moment, it's an exclusive card. Three of a kind, no more and no less." Her grin grew even wider.

"And you have all three? I thought the wager was four cards."

"That's true, it was." She pulled out the bottom card of her deck and showed it off as well. "Mythic Dragon, one of the most powerful Duel Monsters ever known."

Jade's eyes widened at the card. "That's more powerful than the Blue-Eyes Ultimate. Kaiba _gave_ this to you as your prize?" she asked incredulously.

"Well..." She offered Jade a sheepish grin. "Believe it or not, he had something even better. But I was never going to get it, so..."

"Better than this," Jade repeated.

Monica's response was half-grin, half-wince. "Yeah. Ever heard of Master of Dragons?"

Jade shook her head. "Is that like a Lord of D.?"

"Um... not really." Monica's grin grew more awkward. "It's a fusion of Blue-Eyes Ultimate and Black Luster Soldier. Same attack and defense as Mythic Dragon, plus an effect that gives it 500 extra attack for each monster in its controller's graveyard."

"That would make its attack power... staggering," Jade summed up. "Well, then. Remind me not to duel Seto Kaiba anytime soon. Is he as arrogant in person?"

"Ugh." Monica rolled his eyes. "He went on and on about how he was a superior duelist. Spoke like a man obsessed with revenge."

"And when the duel came to a draw?"

"He called it a lapse in concentration combined with sheer luck."

"What did Mr. Motou say? A little bit of luck never hurts."

Monica grinned. "He did say that, didn't he?"


	17. The Morning After

_A/N: Augh! The Yu-Gi-Oh! website updated again and I didn't update this story beforehand! As a matter of fact, I forget when I last updated this story... and that means it's been way too long. Time to change that. I present you with Chanpter 17 for your reading enjoyment._

_Lumen: Thanks, I always aim to please. Master of Dragons is a very tough monster to summon because of the strict guidelines for its creation... but you never know, it may yet appear._

_Monica: Glad you liked it! Here's more for you. Not exactly soon, I know... but it's here, nonetheless._

_Mira: You're back! And so am I! Break out the champagne!_

* * *

Over the next few days, Monica and Jade continued to room together. Shortly after her victory over Kaiba, the realization that her best friend was gone and _his_ best friend was still in critical condition at the hospital came crashing down on her like a ton of bricks. Jade attempted to allay Monica's despair by entertaining her in a game or two of Duel Monsters, but truth be told, Jade simply had no idea how Monica was supposed to deal with what was happening. 

_I don't even know how **I** should deal with it_, she admitted silently. _You read about mystical adventures in fantasy books, but the moment it becomes real, you understand just how artificial the books are. Their authors don't speak from experience, only imagination._

_But this... this is real._

There was another truth Jade had to admit to herself – although she had shakily agreed to consider Kyle a friend, and she was silently supporting his friends as well... she felt incredibly awkward around Monica, and even more so when they went to visit Chubs. She had many acquaintances, yes, but not many friends to speak of. She tended to consider as rivals most people who beat her in Duel Monsters. In her experience, most of the rest of the dueling community did the same... and perhaps that's where the phrase "friendly rivals" had come from.

She found it odd that after her impersonal behavior towards Kyle in her hunt for the Gate Guardian set that he would still want to befriend her. If anyone was aware of her abrasiveness towards him, it was Jade. That was the attitude she meant to convey. She saw little point in getting friendly with people from whom she wanted something. They were gamblers. So was she. And that was pretty much that.

But not when it came to Kyle. For whatever reason, he had chosen to pursue some sort of friendship with her... and she couldn't imagine what that reason was.

_Then again, it's not as if we've had much of a chance to find out. Now he's gone, and the only person who has any clue where he went isn't inclined to tell. A fine state of affairs._

It was thoughts such as these that kept her awake three nights after they'd seen Kyle disappear, quite literally, into thin air. And with one of those magicians, no less. She didn't exactly enjoy being nosy about people's lives, it was simply part of the job she committed herself to, but she would have given a lot to find out just what the hell was going on.

_The world's falling apart around our ears_, she decided. _That's got to be it. We're all just going incredibly insane._

For all she knew, the world _was_ in fact falling down around her ears and what held it together were people like Kyle who did things that looked even more insane than the rest of the so-called normal folk.

That idea did not comfort her any.

Jade sighed and stared at the ceiling. She knew Monica was awake, and along with her two ears ready to hear just about anything she had to say concerning the subject... but Jade had learned not to trust anybody but herself with her feelings. It led to exposure. And exposure was something she'd learned she couldn't afford. Neither in business, nor pleasure.

It wasn't that she believed she'd be exposing anything major in expressing concern about Kyle... but just the possibility of letting her guard down, even a little... even to Monica... was enough for her to fight her own instinct to talk.

She knew Monica was awake because she'd noticed in Monica a tendency to breathe somewhat loudly when she slept. No such noticeable noises pervaded the room now... only the occasional restless shifting under the covers of the other bed.

Jade rose from her bed and crossed over to the small table where a state-of-the-art laptop computer awaited her. It blinked and quietly beeped at her as it powered up, and upon the touch of a few keys, took her into the annals of the Internet. Minutes passed as she sought out her objective. When she discovered it, her urge to speak finally took the best of her for a moment – and she said what even she hadn't expected herself to say.

"I have to go."

Monica mumbled unintelligibly into the sheets for a moment, then uncovered her head and blinked questioningly at Jade. "Hm?"

"I said I have to go." Jade turned her head and looked at the dragon duelist. "I can't stay here in Japan."

"I thought you said you didn't have any pressing business." Monica propped herself up on the bed, frowning suddenly. "Is something wrong?"

"No," Jade mused. "Not really. But things change. Now I _do_ have some pressing business to take care of, and I have to leave in order to take care of it."

"Now?"

Jade let out an impatient sigh. "Look, I'm glad you're safe, and I'm as worried about Kyle as anybody else... but I have to rejoin the real world. I can't just sit around here waiting for him to come back, or for your other friend to snap out of critical condition. At this point, the only way I've got a chance of retaining my sanity is to get back to my life."

"And you're just going to ignore everything that's happened?"

"It's worse to ignore my calling. And my calling is Duel Monsters." Jade began tapping a message into an e-mail program. "I have work to do, calls to make, and bills to pay. I'll stay here for the rest of the night, but in the morning I'm going to end my time here. I think it's only courteous to tell you myself."

"Instead of leaving it in a note, right?"

Jade pursed her lips. "Let's leave it at, I'm extending you a courtesy. That's rather rare for me. Appreciate it for what it is."

Monica chewed her lower lip for a moment. "Where are you headed?"

"Away from here," Jade curtly replied. She looked back up at Monica. "You should get some sleep. Your friend will get better soon enough and then you can both go home."

* * *

The next time Monica awoke, Jade was indeed gone. Along with her had gone her possessions... and the Gate Guardian card Kyle had left behind. 

Monica squinted her eyes shut for a moment, wanting to curse Kyle for his stupidity. _She's been chasing after that set the entire time, and now she finally has it without any fuss from him? He won that set, the entire thing. He should have it, not her..._

She sighed, then sat up in bed and looked around the room. She noticed a set of keys lying on the dresser, and she frowned. _Jade's not sloppy enough to leave things behind, never mind keys..._

She got up and approached the dresser, noting the piece of paper that had been slipped under the keys. She read the note, and one side of her mouth quirked up in a small smile. _Well. I guess she isn't completely heartless, if she's gonna leave me the car..._

But her face fell at the P.S. _Blood in the back?_

_

* * *

He hadn't even realized he'd been taken anywhere until his eyes opened... and it was at that moment he understood he was in danger. Instead of staring up at the roof of his hotel room, he found himself looking up into the wizened face of an old man with a scraggly white beard, yellow eyes, and yellower teeth. The old man had a devilish grin on his craggy features, and was mumbling some nonsense about magic. _

_When he tried to sit upright, he felt a grinding pain all around his neck. He tried to groan, but couldn't even emit a whisper – his air had been completely cut off by some sort of noose. He tried to flex his neck muscles, to allow his windpipe the most minimal of openings, but the noose simply cut harder into his neck. Black dots swirled around his vision. For some reason, his hands refused to obey his orders to grab the noose._

_The old man said he would do exactly as he was told, else he would die._

_He was beginning to think he was going to die no matter how well he did what he was told._

_Then he felt himself rising to his feet... though curiously, he wasn't doing it under his own power. Some part of him wondered if he was in shock over the situation – and he certainly wouldn't blame himself for it. He'd been abducted by a bunch of cultist geezers, and now he was being strung up by his neck in... he didn't even know what to call it, except "the thing they hang people from". He was sure there was a word for it, it just wasn't coming to him._

_What happened next was nothing short of bizarre. They gave him his duel disk and told him to put it on. He did so, albeit with great puzzlement – and then they gave him the two cards that made his day even worse._

_A Blue-Eyes White Dragon, and a Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon._

_He didn't even want to know what they'd done in order to obtain them._

_He was told he would need to duel in order to obtain his freedom._

_And the person he was dueling was none other than his best friend._

"_Blue-Eyes White Dragon... attack his Life Points directly."_

"_Goodbye..."_

_All had turned to darkness, and a useless scream of denial._

_He felt as though he was tumbling down a bottomless pit now... perhaps into the very depths of Hell itself..._

_Was this punishment? Was he being punished for not being the friend he should have been? For not being the son he should have been? Maybe for not being the duelist he should have been?_

_He didn't know. But he was angry. He was angry that this was how it had all happened. He was angry that he'd been forced to go through with all of this. He was angry at that geezer-fest of a cult that had taken him._

_But most of all, he was angry at his best friend... for not being able to save him._

_He clawed at the darkness, fighting to break free of it. He would not give in to it. He could not give in to it._

_Not yet._

_Not yet._

* * *

Monica stepped off the elevator to the fourth floor of the hospital just in time to hear alarms buzzing. A pair of doctors rushed past her... 

...towards the one room she didn't want them to enter.

Her eyes widened in horror. _Chubs!_

She raced after them and virtually hurled herself into room 415, where a red warning light was flashing. Through the cadre of medical professionals, she could see Chubs' cord-laden body, no longer still but instead shaking almost uncontrollably. Doctors were shouting at him in heavily accented English to calm down. One kept trying to explain to him where he was and what had happened to him.

"Mr. Smith, please! You must calm down! You're safe in a hospital! You came here with a neck injury, we're here to help you! You have a tube in your throat to help you breathe, that's why you can't talk right now – no, leave it in, you need it to stay in to help you breathe..."

Beyond that, Monica could only make out a few words in Japanese – the doctors and nurses were throwing around technical jargon. She felt herself growing slightly faint; she cupped a palm to her forehead and slumped against the door frame.

_Why did this have to happen to you, Chubs? Why did all of this have to happen?_

* * *

Kyle sensed no motion, yet his stomach felt as though it had quite suddenly vanished from his abdomen. His eyes automatically clenched shut against the possibility of vertigo, although if he'd opened them, he wouldn't have seen anything. He felt an icy blast of wind pushing at his face, tearing at his clothes, and freezing his duel disk to his arm. The Millennium Shield was the only source of warmth he could detect, and even that provided paltry protection from the all-around icy gales. He fought an instinct to shout into the wind for fear that his lungs might freeze if he so much as parted his lips. 

All at once, the wind stopped blowing, and light wavered around him. He relaxed his eyelids and finally parted them, to see that he was now standing in a small hut made primarily of wood and hardened clay. Sunlight was streaming in through the "door", which was little more than a man-sized opening in one wall. The atmosphere was hot and heavy. Kyle was tempted to take off his shirt on the spot.

"Welcome to my home," said the mage.

"Where are we?"

"We are in Egypt, of course." At Kyle's frown, Djeserkare offered a small, sad smile. "Where else did you think my home would be?"

"I thought you said you were an outcast from your clan."

"I am. But as people of this age are fond of saying, 'Home is where the heart is.' My heart is here. This place has been my home for many years now." The old man gestured toward the ground – there were no chairs here – as he sat down next to one wall. "Please. Sit. We shall be spending quite a bit of time together, I should imagine."

"And why's that?" Kyle inquired. "How long could it take you for you to tell me where–?"

But Djeserkare held a hand up before Kyle could complete his question. "I understand that as a youth, you are endowed with nearly limitless energy and enthusiasm, but it will go to waste if you do not focus it properly. I am older than you by many, many years, Kyle McCraine, and in spite of my advanced age, I remain a patient man."

"I have a voice in my head that beats you out by several thousand years and he's no more patient than I am."

"That is because he retains the wisdom of a man in the prime of his life, not the wisdom of a man who has truly lived every century of his existence," the mage calmly answered. "Patience is a virtue that is vital to your survival, Kyle McCraine."

Kyle stared hard at the old man for several moments, then finally sat down on the dirt floor. "You don't have to call me by my full name. 'Kyle' is fine."

"Very well then... Kyle. And I offer my greetings to your partner Theoris."

The Eye of Horus adorning the Millennium Shield glowed harshly, and a cloud of purple smoke exploded into being next to the teen. Within that cloud, a humanoid image wavered – faint, but enough for both Kyle and Djeserkare to see. The tan-skinned apparition opened its mouth, and although the words were spoken in ancient Egyptian, Kyle could understand the words perfectly as their sentiments resounded in his mind.

"**Forgive me if I remain as impatient as you claim, but your people kidnapped my daughter and I would have given my life to save hers."**

Djeserkare's response was in English. "I know, Theoris. I know well the ties of family. I myself have had several children, even more grandchildren." Again, that faint smile beneath the mage's white beard returned. "Perhaps by now, I will have had great-grandchildren, as well."

Kyle frowned slightly. "What caused you to be separated from your clan?"

"We had... a difference of ideologies."

"How?"

"It is all... very difficult to explain at one time, Kyle..." Kyle could see the effort Djeserkare was making in not speaking his last name. "This is why I have brought you here. You wish to know of Abana and her whereabouts. It is not so simple as telling you and sending you on your way. If you wish to defeat my old clan, you must learn of it."

"Which leads me to another question."

"One of many, to be sure."

Kyle ignored the statement. "Why are you so eager to teach me about your clan? Why do you want me to defeat it?"

"That was not one, but two questions," Djeserkare smiled, "but I shall answer as best I can. The difference in our ideologies has become profound enough that I now realize the necessity for my clan's defeat. Believe me or do not, but I share your sentiments – they must not obtain what they desire, else all will be ruined. My people are mad for power and they are so blinded by it, they are blinded _to_ it."

"Are you telling me the mage clan doesn't even _know_ it's power-hungry?"

"On the contrary, they know that. But they fail to understand how much. Their desire for power has become an insatiable lust. It will not stop with the Millennium items. It will continue to the destruction of all."

"**And so you wish for us to show them what madmen they have become?"**

"That is precisely what I wish for. I myself am both old and exiled. My power is great and well-respected by my clan, but because I am an outcast, my sentiments carry little to no weight with them. For my people, I am simply an old fool who is blind to the wonder that absolute power will bring."

Kyle pondered. "A wise person once said, 'Absolute power–'"

"'–corrupts absolutely'?" Djeserkare interjected. "I know of the phrase, and indeed, that person is wise. My people have spent millennia searching for the absolute power they know to exist. Their pursuit has been so dogged, it has consumed them. They have become corrupted absolutely simply by the _temptation_ of absolute power."

"**In that case, if the Millennium Shield holds such power, why has Kyle not been corrupted by it?"**

"Why, indeed?" Djeserkare's smile returned. "I mean this with no offense, Kyle... but I do not believe you understand the significance of the power you wield. Ignorance is your weapon against corruption."

"I know the powers of the Shield," Kyle remarked, a touch defensively. "I know it can absorb and reflect magical powers. It can initiate Shadow Games. It maintains a spirit whose body is long gone."

"Yes, but until my people began accosting you, did it ever occur to you to use any of these powers for your own gain?"

Kyle blinked. "Not really, no."

"That is the ignorance I speak of. You ignore the advantages the magic of your Millennium Shield would give you over countless others. You retain your humanity by keeping yourself equal... not increasing your status through your powers. My people do not understand how you could choose to cast aside your power, when power is their deity. They understand it only as a needless waste. Yet it is not. It is because of the choice you have made that you are still sane." Djeserkare bowed his head. "That is what I want for my people. I wish for their sanity."

He looked back up at Kyle and Theoris. "I will teach you what you must know. I will teach you the elemental powers of my people. I will prepare you to battle their madness. In return, all I ask is that you do everything you can to show them the error of their ways."

Kyle and Theoris exchanged looks. Then they turned back to Djeserkare... and nodded.

Djeserkare returned the gesture. "Very well, then. Let us begin."


	18. Deafening Silence

_A/N: I'm pretty bad with consistency, aren't I? The television show is on its final season and I haven't updated for a year. About time that changed. Thusly, I give you Chapter 18 of Interposed Fortunes, and hope you enjoy it. I also hope I'll finish Chapter 19 before the end of this week and be able to get back some of the swing I had before going on this impromptu hiatus._

–

_One Week Later_

–

"_It wasn't my fault, or Kyle's fault, or anybody's–"_

"_I don't care whose fault it was! This is my **son**! And Kyle couldn't even stay to look me in the eye!"_

"_He said he called–"_

"_He couldn't even look me in the eye! And he couldn't even stay by Cody's side!"_

"_I know he would have if he could have–"_

"_He **SHOULD** have!"_

Monica clutched her head as she tried to focus on her Social Psychology studies. The sight of Chubs' mother in that Japanese hospital had been tormenting her during both her sleep and her waking moments. At this point, she wasn't sure she would ever be able to expel the images and sounds from her mind. The beeping of the monitors... the antiseptic smell that identified the building... the bright walls, the fluttering curtains...

But most of all, the tear-filled eyes of his heartbroken mother.

She pounded her fist on her desk in a vain attempt to shake herself out of it, or to at least give her something else to focus on, like pain. For a moment, she succeeded – only to lodge her mind on Kyle... watching him vanish with a magician... what could have happened to him by now...?

_This isn't helping_, she fumed. She slammed her book and notebook closed, stood up and walked about the apartment for several moments, trying to burn away some of the frustration. Realistically, though, she knew the only way she might have a chance to actually burn off the frustration through motion was if she ran all the way to Maryland and back. Her eyes settled on the phone... but who could she possibly call to talk about all this?

_Zack, maybe_, she conceded. _But not Chubs or his mom. And I don't have the first clue how to get in touch with Jade._ She sighed. _How fitting that the one who knows everything is also the one about whom we all know virtually nothing. She wouldn't even open up after Kyle vanished._

She moved to the window of her apartment and stared out at the street. It was empty for the moment – at this time, in the middle of the afternoon, not all that many cars were apt to pass by. _And I guess when it comes to it, I really can't talk to Zack about everything, either. He'd just think I was crazy. Kyle with magic powers, vanishing into thin air right in front of our eyes? I'd be lucky if he didn't suggest I get some counseling._

_But... at the same time, maybe I should just try to talk to him. If not about all of it, then some of it, at the very least._

–

Zack had tried for two days – with no measure of success to speak of – to visit Chubs. His mother wouldn't allow it. At one point he'd made the mistake of trying to reason with her; he pointed out to her that he'd had absolutely nothing to do with the incident at Battle City which had led to his injury.

Her infallible, invulnerable response of "I don't care!" followed by her slamming the door in his face and locking it had left him standing on the front step on a day off and about two hours' distance from his current home.

And so he'd gone back to Decatur in disappointment and ignorance. He didn't even know what was wrong with Chubs, save that someone had tried to hang him. That much he'd been able to glean from Monica, though she'd given the information reluctantly and had refused to go into detail, which struck Zack as odd.

_What could she possibly not want me to know?_ he couldn't help but wonder. _I'm his friend, too... been his friend longer than she has... and in a case like this, wouldn't it be important for everyone to be fully updated? And if not important, then at the very least, a good thing?_

Today he was sitting at his computer desk, accessing the UPS and FedEx websites and keeping track of orders he'd made, as well as packages he'd sent out. His living quarters might not reflect the fact, but when it came to his business, he was meticulous. He didn't want to live under any implication that he paid himself for nothing at all, and that his employees were shouldering the entire burden of his business. Sure, they were a great help, but when it came to shipments, their boss was determined to see none of them got lost.

And on those rare occasions they _did_ get lost, he made sure there was hell to pay. Not to mention insurance.

He punched up details on a recent order that had come in from a P.O. Box owner in Michigan. _Okay, that's my territory..._ The order itself wasn't all that unusual, it requested a Neo Aqua Madoor, one of the newer Spellcaster-Type cards with a terrifically high defense and compatibility with combinations that could ensure the safety of the user's Life Points at virtually all times.

But it was what the customer was offering for the card that Zack found intriguing. There was no dollar amount – instead, it offered to trade a Moisture Creature card, a Fairy-Type monster card Zack himself had been trying to obtain since its production in the English language, for Madoor. There was even a time and location suggested for the trade to happen... and the place was a small coffee shop no more than two blocks away from Zack's apartment.

_This is bordering on creepy_, Zack mused. _The dollar values for the two cards are roughly the same... so I wouldn't be losing any money in the trade. Neo Aqua Madoor is rare, but not to an extreme level – this is a monster a duelist wants to use, not put behind a glass case to gawk at. And it's exactly the same for Moisture Creature... so it's reasonable to assume whoever this is knows about my own deck theme. And judging from the location they're offering to trade at..._

In spite of the lack of a name on the order form, he suddenly had a reasonable suspicion as to who this particular customer might be.

Just as he was finished typing up an e-mail agreeing to the meeting, his phone rang. He donned his earpiece and opened the line. "Hello?"

"_Hey, Zack... it's Monica."_

"Oh." Zack blinked. "Hey. What's up?"

There was a heavy sigh over the line, transmitted as static. _"I... think right now, I just need somebody to talk to."_

Zack blinked again. "This is a first. What do you want to talk about?"

"_Anything. I'm just... I need somebody to talk to."_

He leaned back in his chair and closed down his e-mail programs. The order forms could wait until this evening. "Well, I'm all ears."

–

Chubs wasn't sure he'd ever be able to stomach the sight of anything related to Duel Monsters ever again. For that matter, he wasn't entirely sure he'd ever be able to stomach the sight of Kyle McCraine again.

_How could he do that to me? All for a hunk of metal? That's more important to him than his best friend? I guess we weren't best friends, after all..._

It would take another couple weeks before the neck brace came off. He was fortunate that his neck hadn't broken, and considering his weight, it could have happened very easily. Supposedly, the only reason it hadn't was the gallows was too short – he hadn't dropped far enough to reach the velocity necessary to snap his neck upon the sudden stop. As it was, the entire circumference of his neck was varying shades of black and purple, and his eyes were still bloodshot.

And he couldn't speak.

That was perhaps the worst part of this entire thing. The doctors had strongly urged him against trying to use his vocal cords until his brace came off. It was difficult, they said, to determine the extent of the damage to his throat, even after several x-rays. They wanted his neck to heal somewhat before trying to examine him again.

So did he.

He wasn't even sure if he was _capable_ of speaking. He certainly didn't want to try when it was against the express orders of the medical team... but he wouldn't have minded at least knowing he was still able to produce some sort of sound.

One thing was for certain. He was going stir-crazy. Cabin fever was taking over. For the last several days, he'd all but locked himself into his room, with his mother helping him out quite readily in that regard, refusing all who came to see him in the midst of her hysterics. Since yesterday, he'd begun to wonder if staying in his room was really the best idea he'd had in a while, or if it was another product of blood flow to his brain having been temporarily shut down.

So in the last few days, he'd taken to making random noises in the room, just to show he was able to make sound occur at all. He'd push the bed and make the mattress springs squeak. He would play music. He would pound his fist against his desk, flip through the pages of a book and totally skip the reading, slam the door... once, he knocked over a standing lamp just to hear it shatter. That had brought his mother running very quickly.

She hadn't been mad at him for it. She'd simply hugged him, and continued to hug him for a long time.

_At least **she** cares..._

Unlike some other people he had once thought he knew.

–

"_I didn't hear from Kyle after the tournament,"_ Zack acknowledged, _"but I didn't really think I would. We didn't exactly leave on the best of terms."_

Monica frowned. "Why not?"

"_He didn't like that I wasn't corresponding with any of you guys as much as the rest of you do with each other."_

"But you've got a business to run."

"_True, but I didn't put it in those terms. I was a lot more cryptic about it, really, than I needed to be. I attribute it to having lost to Jade before dueling him."_

"You dueled Jade at Battle City?"

"_Yeah. Even doing that was a bit of a personal triumph for me."_

"I can imagine."

"_So Kyle just up and disappeared? I thought that was a trick more Jade's style than his."_

"You'd think," she muttered. "Honestly, Zack, I have no idea what happened to him. One moment he was there, the next... poof." She neglected to mention the part about having broken into a museum and watching him literally vanish alongside an old kook in a robe.

"_No phone calls? No letters?"_

"No nothing, Zack. I'm saying he's nowhere to be found. I'm just hoping he won't be gone so long his landlord doesn't decide to oust his belongings."

"_So file a missing person report with the police."_

"I did. I have my doubts they're going to find him."

"_Well, if they don't, the IRS will."_

She scoffed in amusement. "Thanks, that makes me feel better."

"_I aim to please."_

"You do pretty good in that department. Thanks for talking to me."

"_You bet. Seeya later."_

"Yeah." She hung up, then looked back at the coffee table, where her Social Psychology book and notebook were patiently waiting, and sighed. _Okay. Maybe if I keep studying this stuff, I'll be able to diagnose myself and see if I'm having a breakdown._

She sat down and got to work.

–

Zack regarded the deck analysis program on his laptop with a measure of both curiosity and suspicion. _Surely my deck isn't that weak! I need some new cards._

The coffee shop had mostly cleared out its customers earlier. It was a 24/7 shop, and being a frequent customer, almost the entire staff knew him – or at least, knew _of_ him. Enough that they would leave him alone when he had the look on his face that said, _I'm working._

For the umpteenth time that evening, he touched his right pants pocket, reassuring himself that the card was still there and hadn't moved since he'd checked last – what, five minutes ago? He looked around the shop, and noted the empty feel to it for a few moments before turning back to the program. _Hope she gets here soon. Otherwise I'll dishearten myself to think of how poorly my deck might do in the next tournament!_

"Is that one of those deck analysis programs?" Jade questioned, standing almost directly behind him.

He jumped and rounded on her. "You just _have_ to do that, don't you?" he said, quasi-amusement in his voice.

She made a small show of brushing off the sleeves of her jacket and sat down in the chair across the table from him. "It's a trademark," she replied with a shrug.

"So I've noticed," he commented dryly. "Have you eaten yet tonight?"

"No," she said, "I'll grab a coffee or something in a moment. You don't seem surprised to see me."

He removed the card from his pocket and inspected it a moment. "If there's anyone besides Abigail Madison who would want to get their hands on a Neo Aqua Madoor, it would have to be you. You have to take into account I don't usually receive an offer to trade cards through an Internet order form that normally requires a dollar amount, nor do I receive invitations to meet at a coffee shop only a couple blocks away from me to initiate such a trade. The fact that it's a Spellcaster was a major tip-off, alongside the simple truth that there aren't that many easily-played Spellcasters with such high defense."

"So Spellcaster equals Jade. Now that's a reputation I don't mind," Jade mused. The conversation held briefly as she walked to the counter and ordered, and returned a minute later with a steaming mug of tea.

"Just don't say that Zack's a Fairy." He smirked. "That would get a reaction counter-productive to what I'd like."

Jade laughed genuinely. "Fair, that's fair," she said, chuckling. "So. You knew it was me... I guess that begs the question as to why you showed up."

He offered a shrug. "Your reputation is getting steadily more pronounced, your money's good, and you're a fair player – if a bit obsessive. Why shouldn't I have?"

Jade used her spoon to toy with the teabag in her mug. "All true," she agreed. From the inside pocket of her jacket she removed a single Duel Monsters card and placed it on the table with her customary precision.

"Mm." Zack's eyes lit up at the sight of the card – a monster that he'd had the privilege of facing in battle once. In response, he put the Neo Aqua Madoor card next to the card Jade had just put down. He offered a small smile to her. "You still have the one-up on me, it seems. Without a boost, Moisture Creature couldn't punch through Madoor."

"Then I take it you're considering this an even trade?" Jade prompted.

"If you are, then so am I," he responded. He slid Madoor across the table to her.

Jade picked up Neo Aqua Madoor, rubbed her thumb across the title once, and slid it into her deck, which she had produced from another pocket. "Already made room for it," she said with a smirk.

"As did I," he replied, shuffling Moisture Creature into his own deck. "I'll have to see how that changes the analysis."

He closed his laptop and put it back into its leather case, which sat unobtrusively next to his right leg. "But not right now. Right now I'm hungry." He gestured toward her. "Would you care for something to eat?"

She looked startled at the question, and only blinked up at him in confusion.

A soft smile crept across his features as he held up a $20 bill. "I'll treat."

But when she didn't respond, a long moment of silence passed between them. Zack put his hand down, and his expression faded somewhat. "You want to know why I'm offering, right?"

Jade bit her lower lip, quite aware that she hadn't very well masked the look of incredulity that had been brought on by his offer. "Well, the thought crossed my mind," she said evasively.

He offered her another easy-going shrug. "I've always been of the opinion that if you treat your customers nicely, they'll come back for more."

She relaxed a little, and gave a shrug. "Well, if you're buying..."

His smile returned. "So what'll it be?"


	19. War and Deception

_A/N: Dear readers, I hope you haven't missed Kyle too terribly much. But as a treat for those of you who have been wondering just what the hell he's up to, here's Kyle learning about things they'll never teach you in school – Chapter 19 for your delight. Pop quiz at the bottom of the chapter!_

_PS: I think I somehow managed to motivate myself to write this chapter by saying I wanted it done within the week. Though it wasn't completed by 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, it's still a lot sooner for me to post it now than a year from now. That said, I'm planning to get the next chapter done by this coming Friday. Enjoy!_

–

Kyle rubbed his bare chest in the midst of the desert night. The place might be an oasis, but it still bore desert temperatures – burning hot by day, bitterly cold by night. He considered using the Shield to protect his nude torso from the chilly gusts of wind that blew past the palm trees and over the surface of the pool, but put that thought on hold as Djeserkare emerged from his hut.

"Can't you just snap your fingers and build a fire, or something?" Kyle muttered.

"It is important to understand, Kyle, that such powers are now beyond my scope," the mage answered. Unlike Kyle, he was fully robed – but then again, he wasn't the one undergoing training. "I do not have the ability to control fire. And even if I did, I would not be able to create it."

"Why not?" Kyle inquired.

"The elemental powers of my people rely on natural conditions to be in place first. If I possessed the power to manipulate fire, I would require it to already exist in a relatively nearby location. I would not need more than a simple spark... but I could not simply generate flame out of nothingness."

"Well, then, what _can_ you do?"

Djeserkare sat down a short distance from Kyle. "Firstly, as you have already experienced, I am capable of moving myself and mass equal to or less than my own across a certain amount of distance instantly. This is an ability in whose use I have trained myself for two generations, and am quite skilled in it."

"And this is considered an 'elemental' power?" Kyle's brow creased. "I thought there were only four elements – earth, fire, wind, and water."

"Those are merely four out of several others, including the fifth element of Light and the sixth element of Darkness. The Transit ability is derived from the Ethereal. That is the seventh element. And the eighth element is Perception, which is where my second ability lies."

The younger man cocked his head in curiosity. "I thought light was generated by the powers of fire. A relative of one of the original four."

Djeserkare shook his head. "Light is more than a reflection of energy. It is a power unto itself, and thus is it an element unto itself. Just as Darkness is not a lack of energy – merely a source of it that few have yet been able to understand. But you know of Darkness. You should understand why it is considered an element, as well."

Theoris emerged from the Shield in a cloud of shadows. It was difficult to see him under normal circumstances, but with the night sky, it was almost impossible now. **"We understand that Darkness is not a mere absence of Light, Djeserkare."**

"Good." Djeserkare watched both men for a moment, and when it became clear that neither of them were going to further interrupt him, he continued. "The eighth element, Perception, is within my jurisdiction. I am certain you understand that this is just as important as the previous seven. Perception is what brings about peace, what starts wars, what breeds both cooperation and destruction. My powers of Illusion are capable of altering the perceptions of others."

"Mind control?" Kyle asked. Theoris scowled at the possibility.

Again, the mage shook his head. "No, none in my clan have ever mastered this power to such an extent. Our Illusion abilities do, however, allow us to trick the senses of the unsuspecting, any combination of senses we choose, into believing there is present something that does not exist... or, perhaps, into believing there is _not_ present something that _does_ exist."

Kyle looked at Theoris. _The magicians were using that power to disguise the playing field when Chubs and I dueled._

Theoris traded looks with Kyle. **_Yes, and the Shield absorbed and copied this ability while it was in use in order to blind the users, so that you might rescue him._**

Djeserkare looked gravely at both men. "It seems you are also familiar with Illusion. Need I continue to explain its advantages?"

Kyle looked back at the mage. "No... I think we get it."

"Good. Then go into your hut, and take up the weapon you find there."

At that, the younger man blinked. He was quite proud of himself for having built that hut – though, granted, it had been under Djeserkare's constant guidance and supervision – but he'd brought no weapons with him. "You put a weapon there?"

"Retrieve it, and attack me."

"... You're joking."

Djeserkare looked his student in the eye. "If you wish to save Abana, you will not be able to circumvent the powers or prowess of my people. And if you cannot defeat me alone in battle, certainly there is no chance you will defeat them in numbers."

Kyle watched the older man for several moments in silence, feeling torn. _Attack him, and risk killing the only ally I have who knows anything about the magicians?_

_**Kyle, it is reasonable to assume he shall not be so easily vanquished. This is an exercise. He would not challenge you to a fight to the death now.**_

_Glad you're so sure of that._ He got to his feet, then ducked into his hut. In the center of the small mound, he saw buried to its hilt a scimitar, reminiscent of the type Theoris had been accustomed to using during his service in the Egyptian army. Tentatively, he grasped the handle and pulled the weapon out of the sand. He hefted it carefully in his right hand, judging the weight and balance. _It's heavier than you seem to remember, Theoris. I sure hope he's not planning on getting killed with this thing..._

When he exited the hut, his jaw dropped.

Because instead of one Djeserkare, there now were one thousand.

And all of them were bearing the same type of blade, in a defensive stance.

"_Attack!"_ they all bellowed simultaneously.

–

Half an hour later, Kyle was panting and his right arm was aching with the strain of swinging the sword.

And not even the first Djeserkare clone he'd attacked had gone down.

As one, they shook their heads in disappointment. _"No, no, Kyle... this is not how you solve this challenge,"_ they admonished. _"You will never have the strength necessary to defeat all of us."_

"Oh, yeah?" he objected. "Just watch me!" He brought the scimitar up and over his head. The clone in front of him moved to block the strike, and that was when Kyle thrust his foot into the pit of the clone's stomach as swiftly as he could.

Every single one of them doubled over in pain.

Kyle's eyes widened and he instantly recoiled, afraid he'd harmed the Egyptian. "Are you all right?"

And then he felt the cold flat of a blade touch his jugular.

The clones vanished.

"Of course I am," Djeserkare responded, and he smiled. "Brute strength will not guarantee you victory – not against one, certainly not against one hundred, and _most_ certainly not against one thousand."

Kyle would have slumped were it not for the knife at his throat. "Okay, okay, I get the point."

"I should hope not," the mage joked, and he retreated two steps.

Kyle turned to face Djeserkare, and Theoris again appeared in a dark shroud. **"Is the point of this exercise to show that such a battle is hopeless?"**

"Of course it is not," the elder responded. "The point of this exercise is to show you a man does not necessarily need physical strength to claim victory. Did either of you ever truly hope to find me within that crowd? Kyle, did you truly believe your strength would hold until you had killed them all?"

Kyle darted a glare at Theoris. "No, not really..." _But _you_ did!_

Theoris scoffed mentally. **_No, I did not! I merely... thought it wise for you to learn such a lesson on your own._**

_What a load! Don't think I didn't see you thinking up little soldier-Theoris waving his sword around like a swashbuckler, taking out every single one of those copies while they just stood stock-still – how could I have listened to that, of all things! I'm not a damn ninja!_

_**Believe what you wish.**_

Djeserkare did not miss the exchange of expressions between the two. "Perhaps you must begin with a lesson even more fundamental – to defeat an enemy, you must first have faith in and the support of your allies."

Both Kyle and Theoris offered a glare to their mentor. "We know."

"All evidence to the contrary," Djeserkare replied blandly. "You cannot afford the luxury of having a personal vendetta against those whom you need, not for a moment. You work together, or you isolate yourselves from each other, but you do not acknowledge the existence of problems amongst each other in the presence of a foe."

"How are we supposed to work together if we don't know what we're supposed to be _doing_?" Kyle demanded.

Djeserkare laughed. "How much more clear must it be made for you to understand? Your thoughts are linked. You do not need to speak to communicate with your closest and greatest ally. It is a _gift_, an _incredible_ gift you have at your disposal. _Use_ it. Seek a solution _together_."

"**And thinking together shall solve our problems?"**

"No. But it shall solve your first one. And it shall help you solve your second, third, and all problems beyond these." Djeserkare returned the knife to the folds of his robes, and then unsheathed a scimitar strapped to his back. "Now..."

He took up a defensive stance. A thousand mirror images of him appeared all around them.

"Attack."

Kyle arched his eyebrow at Theoris, and a wry smile touched his lips. "What makes you think I'm gonna let all these copies fake me out when I know the real thing's standing right in front of me?"

"Who said this is the true Djeserkare you address?" the mage returned, smirking back at his student.

Kyle blinked at the question, then blinked again as he considered it. _Maybe... maybe it isn't him, after all._

_**How could it not be? You felt his blade at your neck just now. Surely that was real.**_

_Yeah, but the problem is I was matching my bodily strength against the bodily strength of a nonexistent Djeserkare just a couple minutes ago. He said that his powers allow him to fool the senses. "Any combination of senses we choose," he said. So he could have been tricking my eyes, ears, and muscles into believing I was fighting the real thing._

_**But how would he have been able to move himself from the position in which he now stands?**_

_Don't forget his other ability. He can move instantaneously from one place to another. He could very well have left a copy of himself standing here in his place, either just now or all this time. It could be he's not even out here facing us at all. He did us a huge favor in telling us what his powers are – now that we know what they are, we have a chance to counter them._

Theoris retreated into the Shield. **_Stop looking at me when we speak to each other, Kyle, you cannot be distracted by my presence when in battle._**

_Sorry. So now, all we have to do is use the Shield's power to absorb and copy his powers. That'll throw him off, maybe give me some copies of my own to work with. I might even be able to use his teleportation ability to appear in front of the real one when we find him._

_**I must warn you, Kyle, we do not know how reliable the powers of the Millennium Shield truly are. They may not produce the exact effects you desire.**_

_Then we'll have to go on faith, for now._

_**That will not be enough. We must be able to find him in order to utilize his powers. We did not need to do so on previous occasion because our opponents were in plain slight. Djeserkare is not.**_

_In that case, I guess it's up to you to find him._ The Millennium Shield appeared around Kyle's left arm, and he brought his sword up, prepared to continue the fight. _Okay... let's see just how well this works..._

He lunged at the Djeserkare-lookalike, coming in with a left-to-right sweep that unblocked could very well cleave the old man in two. The instant Djeserkare moved to block, multiple spears of light lanced out the iris of the Shield as Theoris searched frantically for the real mage. Kyle continued to press his attack on Djeserkare's right side while the light shot through the copies precisely as though they weren't there. **_Change your attack, Kyle, he is not to your left._**

_Maybe not, but I'll bet you the moment I move is the moment he does, too._

_**Change your attack and let me worry about searching for him.**_

Kyle spun around with an overhead strike that was once again blocked. The light coming from the Shield did not abate – it moved with the iris, as though the Shield were a lamp covered with a colander. He pressed his attack as hard as he could, moving Djeserkare back, and back again, keeping the Shield in constant motion alongside his sword.

_Theoris, my right arm's about to fall off, I could swear this sword's getting heavier by the swing! Any progress?_

_**None yet, Kyle... perform a rapid spin at next opportunity, keep the Shield level, and I will be able to survey the entire region. Hopefully that will be enough.**_

"_Hopefully"? Okay..._

"Clearly you have not been trained in the ways of the sword, Kyle," Djeserkare admonished. "What knowledge you have, you appear to have gleaned from Theoris. Your style is ancient and haphazard."

"Whatever works," Kyle answered, and he stepped away quickly. In the same motion, he held the Shield tightly against his chest and spun in a circle as quickly as he was able. Again the light sprayed out from the iris, this time engulfing the entire region in the spin.

_**There!**_

A single beam of light took hold – and its point of reference was inside Kyle's hut.

Kyle smirked. _That's clever. He's been in there for a while, then. Okay, let's use it or lose it._

He concentrated, Theoris at his side and bolstering his effort...

Suddenly, he found himself standing several meters away from where he had been.

And about half the copies of Djeserkare had now become copies of Kyle – Millennium Shield with glowing iris and all.

_Whoa. Now that's just weird._

"I see you've found me," Djeserkare remarked, via his clones. "Do you now expect me to find you?"

"You won't have to," Kyle responded, and he noted with amusement that all of his copies were mouthing the same words. "The exercise wasn't for you to find me... it was for me to attack you."

He focused his efforts again – keeping the copies intact was starting to nag at his concentration – and suddenly he was standing in place of a copy that had been confronting the real Djeserkare... who was not bearing a weapon of any kind.

Kyle struck at the mage's left leg, hoping to at least nick him and show him the lesson had been learned.

But the moment the sword connected, the blade crumbled off the hilt as if it were made of sand.

Kyle stared at the hilt in disbelief. _That was an illusion, too!_

_**It would explain why it was such a burden to carry.**_

_Literally!_

_**Or not.**_

Djeserkare smiled at Kyle. "Indeed... you may be a faster learner than I gave you credit for."

And then he buried his sword in Kyle's stomach.

Kyle's eyes bugged out and he staggered back, staring at the blade he'd just been impaled upon sticking out of his midsection. The pain was absolutely excruciating – he'd never felt anything even remotely close to this in his life... the closest reference he might have been able to come up with was Theoris when he was stabbed through the arm during a fight with grave robbers...

He clutched the hilt and fell to his knees, and somewhere in the back of his mind he could hear Theoris shouting at him, and at Djeserkare, but he couldn't focus on any of it... he couldn't focus on anything but the awful, horrendous betrayal to which he'd just been subjected...

He looked up at Djeserkare, opened his mouth – but couldn't find it in him to speak. Not even to whisper.

And Djeserkare... was wearing an expression of disappointment.

"I see you still have much to learn, Kyle," he said.

Kyle tried to speak again, and again was foiled by his inability to find the words. He looked back down at the scimitar, still firmly embedded inside him. He could feel the cold metal, could taste the blood in his mouth... _How could he do this to me...?_

And then, it came to him.

_He couldn't have. Not if he was serious about teaching me. He's an exile, there's no point in trying to kill me – so either he's had the wool pulled over my eyes for days... or this is an illusion, too..._

Kyle looked back down to where the sword was–

Only it wasn't there anymore.

Djeserkare smiled again. "I see you begin to understand what is necessary to break through the fog of Illusion."

The younger man hesitantly got back to his feet and rubbed the region where the sword had penetrated – _or not, as the case may be._ "Could you have thought up a slightly less gruesome way of showing me how your powers work?"

"When a man faces death, he also faces the ultimate disillusionment," the mage answered. "He can either accept the truth for what it is, or be blinded by his own perceptions. Perhaps neither will save him – but among my people, it is heresy to cast aside such an opportunity."

"**And are your people so brutal that they would trick each other into believing they suffer mortal injury?"** Theoris asked, having reemerged.

"By your accounts, friends, I should not need to answer such a question." Djeserkare crossed his arms.

_Touché._ Kyle arched an eyebrow at Theoris, who offered no reply, (meta)physical or mental. He looked back at Djeserkare. "Okay, so we've now had a crash course on how Illusion works. What about this 'Transit' ability of yours? Seems to me it comes in pretty handy, and virtually every magician I've met has had it, but I don't understand how it works."

"That, Kyle, is a lesson for another day," the elder responded. "The lesson for tonight is concluded. You must rest now and recover your strength. There are still many nuances of Illusion I have yet to teach you... but rest assured, there will be no stone nor leaf left unturned."

Kyle cocked his head. "You sound pretty determined."

"I am sending you to war with my people. I must show you how to be a soldier, else you will not survive."

–

_Pop quiz: Tell me what you thought of the chapter in a review. Thanks!_


	20. Trade Negotiations

_A/N: Thus spake the author, "Let there be Chapter 20 ahead of schedule". And so there was, and there was much rejoicing. Hope you enjoy._

–

_Two Weeks Later_

–

It took Zack a considerable amount of effort to open the door with two arms each bearing considerable weight in groceries. He hated grocery shopping with a passion. It inevitably led to him purchasing outrageous amounts of junk food that, given his status as a business owner, he was much better off avoiding. On the other hand, he despised walking up and down the aisles searching for ingredients to make meals with... so more often than not, he would make a beeline for the refrigerated pizzas and throw six or seven different kinds into his cart before dashing to the produce section to grab milk and juice.

_I have no self-control when it comes to pizza._ This was an admission he was able to make to himself, if no one else. _I could probably build furniture out of all the pizza boxes I've opened since moving into this shack. And let's not even get into how many cola cases I've been through._

And so it was with massive amounts of pizza and cola in his arms that he attempted to open both the storm door and the front door, enter before the storm door decided to slam shut, and close the main door. The primary portion of his body involved was his back – he moved backwards through the doorway, then used his spine to shut the door and punch the knob lock.

_Another success in the life of Zack Sawyer: getting all the groceries inside in one trip._

_... How lame._

He navigated his way over stacks of stationery, shipping envelopes, various Duel Monsters card binders, and other memorabilia with ginger footsteps. The last thing he wanted was to drop a full case of cola on top of an Exodia set... or worse, a custom-made deck built with hot-off-the-press cards and ordered by a well-paying customer. With an Exodia set in it.

_Day of love for the card salesman_, he thought as he set the groceries down on the counter. _Now I can put this stuff away, relax in front of the TV, and just take it easy for the rest of the evening._

But his plans were interrupted in the middle of his attempt to settle down in front of the TV by the ringing of the phone. He rolled his eyes. "Mark, can't you ever process an order without me having to walk you through..." He reached out to the coffee table and picked up the cordless. "Hello?"

"_Hey, Sawyer. Just thought you should know, I finally got the last of the set. I'm holding every single one of 'em in my hand as we speak."_

Zack glowered into the receiver. "Rick, I swear to God, if you keep calling me at home I'm gonna call the cops on you for harassment."

"_Take it easy, man. Just thought you should know."_

"Yes, because it's important you call me up to gloat at me whenever humanly possible. Don't you have better things to do with your time?"

"_My employees do it for me."_

"Which is precisely why business for me is consistently so much better. You're just jealous."

"_So're you. I can hear you turning green from here."_

"That's me getting sick of talking to you. Don't call me again." He tapped the END button and put the receiver back on the coffee table, rolling his eyes once more. _Could that man be any more a waste of oxygen?_

He'd been receiving calls like this for a while now, though usually it was during business hours. Every once in a while, Rick would peruse Zack's stock of cards online and then chase after whichever ones Zack didn't have... usually with more success than Zack was able to muster. And then he'd call and gloat about it. This latest set of cards was one Zack had been particularly keen on, but he couldn't even get his hands on the most common of them – which was still rather rare.

He checked his watch. _Another trade with the woman of mystery tomorrow morning... well, **almost** morning, anyway..._ He couldn't understand why she'd wanted this meeting to take place at 4:30 a.m., but he had made a point of not questioning the time. If she wanted to trade or buy, she'd trade or buy, and damn the time of day if he was going to get a good deal out of it.

_Sort of strange she'd want one-on-one meetings with me, though. I guess she's not interested in buying this time around, either... there are much more convenient methods of purchasing a Duel Monsters card than meeting me at a coffee shop like it's something clandestine. She wants to trade. Just like the other times._

He riffled through the paperwork adorning his coffee table. _I guess I'd best see what I can bring to the table._

–

_The Next Morning_

–

Zack yawned behind his fist as he logged off the Internet – he found the wireless service to be a bit pricy, but worth it in the end, especially with his business. _And for me, business happens day and night_, he thought ruefully, recalling the huge number of orders that had come in the previous day. The game was insanely popular, no doubt, and it was even more so during the upcoming holidays... which was exactly what most of his clientele was preparing for. _They want to get the good cards before the prices rise_. And he didn't blame them for that.

"Mornin', sunshine."

He glanced up, unconsciously rubbing one eye as he looked up at the beefy woman behind the counter. "Only technically, Flo," he responded wearily.

"That girl o' yours comin' in today?"

"That's the plan."

She shook her head as she swiped at the counter with a towel. "What is it with you and these ungodly-hour meetings these days? You'd think the two of you were having an affair."

It took Zack a considerable amount of effort not to spew the water he was drinking all over his laptop.

Flo let out the giggle of a veteran who'd seen many such things happen before. "C'mon, kiddo, I'm just teasin' ya, you know that. Unless, of course..." She threw the towel over her shoulder and put her meaty hands on her hips. "You _are_ havin' an affair. You ain't, right?"

"If I am, I'm the only one in it," he responded, wearing a half-grin.

She gave him a sharp-eyed look. "Just make sure you ain't engaging in no funny business in here."

He responded with a look of disgust. "Flo, you should think about taking that towel to that head of yours. You might make it a bit cleaner upstairs."

"Serious, kid? You think I can work in a place like this and _not_ have some bats in the belfry?"

He shook his head and turned back to his laptop. _Dirty old woman_, he thought.

"Can I getcha anything while you're waiting?" Flo asked. "Or you stickin' with water?"

"Biscuits and gravy," he promptly answered. He opened one of the deck analysis programs now festooning the hard drive of his computer and started typing up a new deck configuration. _Let's see what these might do for my deck, hypothetically speaking..._ After just a few monster cards, as compared with his current deck, the new concept looked as if it would greatly improve his statistics. _Looking good. That is, if I **had** any of these!_

"Every time I see you, you've got your nose glued to that screen, and that program running. Whatever happened to actually trying out a new deck in person?" Jade asked, leaning over his shoulder to poke at the laptop screen.

He gently batted her finger away. "It might help if I owned these cards," he responded. It had been a while since being surprised by her entrance, which invariably occurred out of his sight. "I don't suppose you might have access to any of them."

Jade hummed under her breath, not moving from her position over his shoulder. "Maybe," she said coyly, "for the right incentive."

Not turning from the screen, Zack plucked a card from his shirt pocket and flipped it in front of her face. "Does a Chaos Sorcerer suit your fancy?"

The card was snapped out of his hand with great precision, and Jade perched on the edge of the table.

This time, he turned from the laptop and looked at Jade with a smirk. "Looks like it does."

"The Agent cards, hm?" She settled into the opposing chair, tracing the card he'd just given her. "Don't you have access to them?"

"I'm having a notoriously difficult time getting my hands on them, and I'd just as soon not be in a tournament without them," he answered. "I've got a rival who takes great pleasure in the fact that he's got each and every one of them... but he won't even so much as _think_ about negotiating a sale or trade. Never mind a Duel Monsters challenge."

"Well, then. I suppose I could see about having a few words with him," she answered. The words sounded playful enough, but the tone of her voice made it clear she doubted she would be refused.

Zack wondered about that for a moment. _Look what happened the last time she was confident in acquiring a goody from a vendor_. But even he had to concede that it would probably be much easier this time around, since the cards he was lusting after weren't as limited as the Gate Guardian cards.

She glanced down at the Sorcerer card and gave it a reluctant look. "Meantime... I do have something for today, but..." She hesitated. "It may not exactly be your cup of tea."

"Let me see it anyway and I'll make that decision."

She reached into her jacket and removed a card from it, then handed it over. "Spirit of the Breeze," she said. "No attack, mediocre defense, Wind attribute..."

"But it's a Fairy-Type," he noted, "and one that increases Life Points every turn. My deck isn't composed entirely of Light monsters, you know... it's good to change up every once in a while. Besides, Life Point gain is becoming a more serious issue to the game these days."

"I think that's called 'preaching to the choir', Zack."

"I wouldn't know, I've never heard your singing voice." He smirked.

"And you're not likely to anytime soon," she advised.

He shook his head in disappointment. "Shame."

"The real shame is that I'm afraid I'll need some serious incentive to both dig up and hand over the cards you want," Jade answered. She leaned forward and laced her fingers atop the table.

"What, that Sorcerer isn't enough for you?" he inquired.

"It's enough for what I just gave you, plus one or two extra," she said. "But what you want is enough to give your deck a rather significant overhaul. The only way to negotiate a fair trade is if you offer to do the same for me."

He raised an eyebrow. "You want to overhaul your deck?"

"Make no mistake, I do like the configuration, but people are coming to know it, and me."

"And you prefer an element of mystery."

"You, of all people, should know I have a flair for the dramatic," she answered dryly. "So what have you got to offer?"

He shrugged. "What do you want?"

"You make it sound simple."

"It has to start somewhere."

Flo strolled over to their table and set Zack's order down next to his laptop. "Here ya go, hun."

"Thanks," he replied, as the smell of the steaming gravy began to permeate the air.

Flo looked at Jade. "Anything I can get for ya?"

Jade considered a moment, then said, "A chicken sandwich, please. And water."

"Gotcha. That sandwich comes with lettuce, tomato, and mayo; that okay with you?"

"That's fine, thanks," Jade clarified.

"A'ight, comin' up." Flo looked at Zack for a moment. "You always got that card game on your mind. Why don't you talk with this fine young lady about something else for a change?"

"It's not a date, Flo, it's a business transaction," Zack snickered.

The big woman simply chuckled to herself as she returned to her spot behind the counter and prepared Jade's meal.

Zack shook his head. "Sorry, she can be a bit nosy at times. Not unlike some people I know."

"Oh, really? Might I be acquainted with any of these people?" Jade smirked.

"You've got more connections than an AOL server, my bet is you know more people like that than I do. Especially if your business is information gathering."

"Probably true."

"So, anyway." Zack leaned back and crossed his arms. "We were talking about renovating your deck."

Jade offered him a small shrug. "I'm not sure what I want. That's the point. The Spellcaster theme has proven effective, for the most part, but sticking with it is proving a little harder."

"Less of a problem, I'd imagine, if your signature changes to bringing out Gate Guardian," he responded idly.

"True," she said pensively. "But that also calls for appropriate changes. So...?"

"Well, let's feel out your preferences first. I understand the Dark Magician and all his relatives are proving extremely popular these days... Battle City's probably to thank for that..." He cocked his head. "What's your pleasure in that area?"

"Honestly, Zack, I love the Dark Magician series – but think about it. A Level 7, 2500 attack, 2100 defense monster just isn't holding up as well as it used to. Not with competition like Summoned Skull, Cyber-Tech Alligator, and Total Defense Shogun. If I want a winning strategy, I need something with a little more muscle."

"Mm. What about ritual Spellcasters?"

"There's only one way to summon those. I haven't been using Magician of Black Chaos lately, Legendary Flame Lord isn't my style, and I refuse to touch Relinquished. I need other options."

He chewed his lip for a moment as Flo returned to the table, this time to wordlessly set out Jade's food. The green-eyed duelist nodded her appreciation, then looked back at Zack.

"I think," he said carefully, "I may have something to help stimulate your deck. With cards like Dark Magician and Kazejin, I think that would beg at least one of these." He reached down to his laptop carrying case and pulled out a small stack of magic cards from one of the pockets. He shuffled through it for a moment, then held out his choice.

She plucked it from his grasp and inspected it. "Tribute Doll," she mused. "Interesting, except the monster can't attack on the same turn."

"And would Soul Exchange make the circumstances any different?"

"Not necessarily, but it might nail an opposing monster more quickly."

"And what if you really need a Labyrinth Brother on your field and have no monsters on it at the beginning of your turn? Soul Exchange can only do normal summons and sets, not special summons."

"...Good point. It's a place to start, at least." She pursed her lips at him. "What else?"

He returned the magic cards to his carrying case and then pulled a small stack of monster cards from his pocket – he'd figured the day would come when they would start negotiating a big trade. "How about an Ancient Lamp?" he asked, and he handed a copy of the named card to her. "It isn't very strong, and I can't imagine you using the second effect, but the first one can really whack your opponent when he's least expecting it."

"And quite hard, at that," she noted. "Very nice. You're getting warmer, Zack, but you haven't quite earned yourself all the cards you want yet."

"Trump card, then." He riffled through the monster stack. "You say that for now, Dark Magician is iffy for such a high level and comparatively low power. How about a better kind of Dark Magician?"

She raised an eyebrow, inviting him to continue.

He bit his lip as he passed her the card he had in mind. "Just came out. It took a lot to get this single card; its rarity ranks pretty high on the list."

Her fingers ran gently over the name – Dark Magician of Chaos.

"And with it," he noted, "comes a quick-play magic card that allows you to summon it straight from your deck... provided you have Dark Magician on your field, of course." He offered her another shining foil card. Its name, Dedication Through Light and Darkness, glinted at her as she took it from him and inspected it. "Maybe Dark Magician can keep your vote after all."

Slowly, a smile spread across her face. "How can I find this rival of yours?"

–

_Two Days Later_

–

Zack barely had time to take a bite out of his peanut butter and honey sandwich – also known as his lunch – between calls. Customers were getting insistent now. _They know I'm gonna start raising prices on them any day..._

Just as he was shoveling the last corner of his sandwich into his mouth, the phone rang again. He groaned and swallowed the entire thing with a large gulp of milk, then tried desperately not to hiccup into the receiver as he answered. "House of Cards."

"_Nine o'clock tomorrow evening at the coffee shop. Bring the trades we agreed on."_

_Click._

He blinked at the receiver. _... That was abrupt._ But he wasn't about to ignore what the voice had told him. _If she wants me to bring the cards, that means she got what I wanted._ A corner of his mouth turned up in the smallest of smirks. _You like that, Rick?_

–

_The Next Night_

–

Zack restrained a yawn as he strolled into the coffee shop, almost late for his appointment. He'd spent entirely too much time on work – it had taken most of last evening to send out the overnight packages and then it had taken a good portion of his usual sleeping time to reschedule the shipping of a couple bungled packages – and he'd been left with a grand total of 2 hours of sleep. Then he'd awakened to the sound of his phone ringing off the hook by co-workers who had no idea how to perform the operations being demanded by customers, and...

He sighed. _On top of all that, I get the UPS bill, the FedEx bill, **and** an invitation to a Duel Monsters tournament scheduled for next week!_ As much as he might have liked to attend such an event, it was questionable whether he'd even get a single minute to himself in the next month and a half. _I really have to teach Mark something about those C.O.D.'s_, he chided himself, knowing fully well that he'd told himself such things before and had never followed through.

_At the very least, I'll be able to get this trade out of the way. Sorry, Jade, I won't be able to commit to any small talk tonight..._ But as he sat down at his usual table and patted his pocket, he realized – with some alarm – that the package he'd intended to bring wasn't there. He could almost feel his pupils dilate as he began patting himself down, searching for the cards he'd meant to bring. Not finding it, he frantically searched his memory–

He nearly whacked his forehead, and he cursed his stupidity. _I left the package on top of my monitor!_ he groaned inwardly. He got up and made for the door, hoping that he wouldn't be too late for the meeting by the time he returned...

And nearly slammed head-on into Jade, who was at that moment coming in through the very same door. "Whoa!" she exclaimed, holding up her hands. "Where's the fire?"

"Sorry," he mumbled, and for some reason, it all came tumbling out. "I've been working on adrenaline and cheap coffee for the past thirty hours and I've barely scratched the surface of the inquiries and orders I've been receiving, and I just realized I left your cards in my apartment... and I really don't feel hungry or thirsty right now, I just want a break and I want to get this done and..." He sighed. "Bottom line: how about you just come with me to my place and we can make the trade there?"

She scrutinized his expression and sincere bid, and then she offered him a single nod. "That's fine," she said simply.

"Okay. Let's go." On another day he might have been surprised that she'd accepted such a forward request, but at the moment he was just too overworked to think about it. He pointed up the street. "My apartment's in that complex." Without another word, he made for it, Jade quickly – and silently – at his heels.

Jade could hear a few token words escaping from under Zack's breath as he unlocked the door and stepped inside. The two-room apartment was in a state of disarray; stacks of paper, bills, and price guides were strewn across the floor, as well as several magazines and order forms. A huge bookshelf loaded with card binders seemed to be the only tribute to organization in the place, and as if to provide a foil, the computer desk beside it was so cluttered, Jade found it a wonder Zack was even capable of finding the keyboard, much less an inch of open space on which to toss more stacks of paper and UPS Next Day Air envelopes.

As Zack maneuvered his way through the chaos, Jade stayed just inside the door but surveyed the clutter with her sharp emerald eyes. "So this is what they call an organized mess, huh?" she asked casually.

"I can afford it," he responded. "With the gift-giving season coming up, people have been absolutely manic about ordering cards while they're still cheap. I may have to raise prices sooner than I thought; as it is, I'm gaining a huge profit this month. But I'm paying for it with overtime..." He let out a tired groan as he approached his computer. The cards he was searching for were indeed atop the monitor; he snatched the plastic-wrapped package off and turned back toward Jade. As he moved, however, a piece of paper crunched underfoot. He frowned, then knelt down and picked up the offending paper. "Great. Now I have an invitation with a footprint on it."

"Invitation?"

"Hm? Oh." Zack gave the paper another glance that said he might make an airplane of it later, and then looked back up at Jade and shrugged. "I've been invited to a Duel Monsters tourney in Indy. Prizes of cards and cash, the usual."

"A tournament... in Indianapolis..." She sighed.

He frowned and posed a not-quite question. "You didn't hear about it."

"It's no big deal," she said, her tone resigned.

Zack looked back down to the slightly crumpled paper and stared at it contemplatively. "You know... I've been so loaded down with work recently, what with the season being what it is, that I rather doubt I'll be able to make it. Hell, I can barely get out of my own apartment for any amount of time, these days. And this invitation does say I can give it to someone else in case I don't go." He held it out to her. "Would you like to attend?"

She looked at him for a moment in surprise. "I... don't think it would be fair to get in on someone else's merit," she said.

"Would you have said that if I'd offered you my invitation to the Madison tournament?"

Mention of that event brought a scowl to Jade's face. Zack almost winced at the sudden change of expression. "Not to rub salt in a wound, but I gave Kyle my invitation to that and he won. It was a great opportunity for him, and I think this would be a good one for you." He held the card out alongside the paper. "It'd be a chance for you to see how well your deck's renovations work out for you."

She looked at the proffered items for several moments... then, wordlessly, she took out the package of cards she'd brought for him and handed them to him in exchange for both his package and the invitation.

He offered her a smile. "Good luck."


	21. Left In the Cold

_A/N: I'm making a vow that this is the last time a delay of this length is incurred upon this story. I've started back in on it with a vengeance and you'll be seeing many more chapters of it in the near future. Enjoy._

–  
_Ten Days Later  
_–

Kyle bent over and coughed violently into the sand. The desert sun was beating down upon him, relentless and unforgiving; Djeserkare was standing over him with an expression that said he would be no more merciful than the sun.

"This power is not for the weak or the faint of heart, Kyle. I know that you are neither weak nor faint of heart, thus it can be yours – but you must master control over both it and yourself. Keel over in sickness after its use and you will expose yourself to the enemy... not only that, but you will be virtually helpless before him."

The teen glared up at Djeserkare in his recovery, and stood up a little straighter. "This has been happening every time I come out of it!" he snapped. "Maybe you could shed some light on how I'm supposed to be able to control my body's response to forces it doesn't recognize or know how to tolerate?"

At that, the old Egyptian chuckled. "It takes time, I will grant. In lieu of time, however, it takes practice. Most people are capable of restraining simple coughs, or at least delaying them until a more appropriate time. For that matter, most people are capable of restraining most bodily functions when enough effort is applied."

Kyle snorted. "So it's just a case of mind over matter?"

"As with all things." Djeserkare gestured at his young charge. "Look at you, Kyle. You are young and healthy and strong, both in the body and in the mind. Have my people yet tried to engage you in hand-to-hand combat? No. In a direct confrontation, and without their powers, they would not be able to withstand you. Their minds command their power. Physically they are frail – will is their method of compensation."

Dark, ethereal smoke trailed from the Millennium Shield across Kyle's bare back, and the image of Theoris appeared within the vapor. **"Then they must be destroyed entirely. If even one should survive, that one will be able to revive your entire clan and begin anew."**

Kyle looked at Theoris. "You're saying kill every single man, woman, and child belonging to the mage clan? Here in the twentieth century, we have a name for that – it's called genocide."

"Yes," said Djeserkare, "and it would conceivably take you three generations to find them all. The entire clan does not live in one place. Many train themselves in the use of their powers abroad, in remote locations, to limit their exposure to the modern inhabitants of this world."

"If that's the case, I'm surprised they haven't tried to take over the world by now," Kyle scoffed. "They've had the resources for thousands of years, haven't they?"

"In the desert, Kyle, one uses only the resources he requires and no more than that. It is the only way my clan has survived all this time. I have studied the ways of the world since the beginning of my exile; this brand of people is commonly persecuted, and now virtually extinct. Open hostility now would lead only to their extinction, as well – my people do not outnumber armies. Even in spite of their powers, they would eventually be overwhelmed. They need greater power than that which they have. This is why they pursue the Millennium items."

_And whether they know it or not, they're running out of time. Technological advances in the last hundred years eclipse entirely any advances made in the five thousand previous._ Kyle watched Djeserkare and controlled an urge to wipe the sweat from his face; it was the only thing cooling him down, and wiping it away would only serve to dehydrate him faster. "In any case, I'm not sure instantaneous transportation is going to serve me well if I keep threatening to lose my lunch. I'm much better with speed manipulation."

"That is because speed is easier to control. It does not require a concentration of energy to displace yourself entirely from one point and replace yourself entirely at another in the blink of an eye. I am attempting to familiarize you with all of the uses of the Transit ability so that you will be better prepared to face my people."

"If by facing them, you mean killing them..." Kyle shook his head. "I don't think I could do that."

"Your method is ultimately your own. I do not presume to know the outcome of this trial. It may take you the rest of your life... it may even _cost_ you your life. I pray that it does not." Djeserkare hid his hands beneath the folds of his robe. "It is not beyond the realm of possibility that you can still show them how far astray they have gone. Putting a stop to them may, indeed, cost lives. If it is necessary, then let it be so."

"**We have already killed in the defense of both the shield and those that Kyle loves."**

"Because it was necessary," Kyle retorted, turning to his friend. "Killing the mage clan goes way, way past 'defense'. That's just plain murder, no matter how you try to slice it." _Don't try to tell me there's no other way to solve this._

_**What is there is not?**_

_I refuse to believe that._ Kyle rolled his shoulders, felt the flesh beneath the shield's straps burning. Almost ever since his arrival in this place, he'd been some degree of sunburned. It had been extraordinarily painful for a week... but he was slowly becoming accustomed to it. He hadn't asked Djeserkare for any sort of protection from the sun, though whether it was because some part of him knew he would receive only a cryptic response, or because of his pride, he wasn't certain. He'd learned, since then, to allow himself exposure to the sun evenly across his body.

It hurt less that way.

Djeserkare coughed. Once, then twice. It wasn't a deep-chested cough, like Kyle's usually were... instead, they were raspy. Rattling. Kyle blinked at his mentor; of the many things of which the old man was capable, he hadn't thought coughing was one of them. Especially not after the lecture he'd just given.

_Physician, heal thyself_, he thought wryly.

It ended at the second cough, and Djeserkare cleared his throat – also a raspy sound – then said, "You must practice more. Master this power. I do not expect you to be able to control it to the same degree as myself, but you must trust me when I tell you this ability will save your life more than any other you learn henceforth."

–

"You can ask all you like, Monica. I'm not dueling you."

"_Why not? Afraid you'll lose?"_

"... I really, really wish you hadn't said that."

"_... Oh. My God. I'm so sorry – really, I didn't mean that. I'm sorry."_

Chubs sighed and sat back against the headboard of his bed, the cordless phone tucked between his head and shoulder. "I know. But I still wish you hadn't said it."

"_Look... what is it you want me to say? Things didn't happen the way you remember them."_

"How would you know? You weren't there. You didn't see what I saw."

"_Chubs, listen to me – Kyle saved you from those guys. He needed a distraction. Ending the duel was the only one available to him."_

"Yeah, right. 'Those guys' had me strung up to a gallows and all they wanted was that gold shield he was wearing. I thought friendship was more important to him than that. He's got money coming out of his ears. How easy would it have been for him to give it up?"

An exasperated sigh came across the line as static. _"Not that easy. There's stuff you don't know about the shield. And you probably wouldn't believe me if I told you."_

"Zack said you told him the same thing. From what it sounds like, he's having a hard time believing you as it is. You can imagine how much faith I have in your word right now. Maybe, if I'd awakened to the sight of him sitting next to my bed, I might have been a little more ready to believe he valued the very first friendship he had in a long time."

"_Chubs–"_

"But where is he now? You don't know. Zack doesn't know. You say that even _Jade_ doesn't know, and she's supposed to know everything. Know what I think? I think he went to ground and decided to forget all about everyone else after he saw me hanging by my neck. Realized at the last minute that 'friendship' is just a word to him, and instead of facing up to that realization, turned his tail and ran."

"_Chubs!"_

"Given his track record in high school, that's about his speed, too." Chubs picked up his Duel Monsters deck, which had been lying on his bedside table, and threw it across the room, not caring where the various cards landed. The action in itself might have been juvenile, but Monica had given him the deck back, saying it was Kyle who'd retrieved it for him. "But please, by all means, if whatever it is you're hiding from me and Zack sounds any less crazy to you than my theory, go ahead and spit it out."

Another sigh on the other end. _"Honestly, I wish I could say that what I know sounds less crazy than that. But even on normal subjects, there's no talking to you or anybody else with that attitude. You definitely wouldn't believe me now."_

"You might be surprised at the things I can believe. I'm willing to bet you already are. But you tell me, how else am I supposed to explain it when nobody gives me an alternative? All I know is what I saw, Monica. And I saw him give an attack order he knew would turn into a stroke that by all rights should have _killed_ me."

"_Chubs, this isn't right. You weren't just his friend, **he** was **your** friend, too."_

"That's what I thought. Guess we were both wrong. And that noose might not have killed me, but it _totally_ killed my dueling gusto, so would you _please_, for the love of God, _stop_ challenging me to duels over the phone? I haven't played since Battle City and you'll probably never hear the phrase 'Duel Monsters' spoken in this house again."

"_Okay, okay... I'm sorry. I just thought you might want some sort of friendly interaction beyond the usual chit-chat. I'd like to know that I'm still speaking to a working mind."_

"All you have to do is ask."

"_As I hear it, you don't truly know someone until you fight them."_

"Fight someone else, then. For all the tournaments you get invited to, I'm sure you find more worthy challenges than me."

"_Maybe, but there isn't nearly so much camaraderie in a tournament as with a friend."_

Chubs traced a finger around his neck. Though the impression of the cord was long gone, he could still imagine he felt it circling his airway, cutting off his ability to draw breath. He took a deep one, just to be sure that wasn't the case. "If you see him, tell him not to show his face at my door. I don't want to talk about him anymore – not with you, not with Zack, not with anybody. He's out, that's where he'll stay."

"_You don't really mean that."_

"First my counselor, then you. Tell you what, I'm getting beyond sick and tired of people implying they know me better than I do. You've got a lot of nerve. Go shove it, and call me when you want to talk about something else."

He pressed the Talk button.

Then the phone joined his cards.

–

_He's not thinking straight. He's still moody. Irrational._

_... Because he doesn't know what happened._

Monica pulled the receiver away from her ear, stared at it for a moment, and shuddered. She was glad she didn't have to look at Chubs's face during that conversation. _I might have shriveled into an infant on the spot._

She'd never known him to be so spiteful. Or so blunt. He'd always been such a casual, devil-may-care sort of person. Often, one had to think about what he truly meant when he spoke because there were so many ways it could be interpreted. More often than that, everyone could tell he had something on his mind yet kept it in reserve. But Battle City had changed him – and it seemed to be for the worst.

_I can't tell him what happened, though. He keeps dismissing me as not having been there. And he's right, I wasn't._

_Kyle needs to be the one to tell him what happened. And why._

She was more surprised than angry at Chubs for hanging up the way he did. She wished she couldn't understand why he was so mad... but she could. Damn it, she could understand it perfectly. Chubs was entirely correct in that there was no way for him to be able to draw any conclusion other than the one to which he'd already come.

She turned to the mess on her apartment floor. Despite her usual penchant for tidiness, tournament invites were again flowing, and she'd been spending the last couple afternoons preparing her deck for battle. When she'd seen the new restriction list, she'd harrumphed in annoyance – Chaos Emperor Dragon, the card she'd pressed Kaiba to trade her three copies of, had now been limited to only one per deck.

_Just like him_, she'd thought, _to spite me like that. But on the other hand, for all I know, he might have pressed to get the thing banned altogether! Of the two, I much prefer the former._ Since the introduction of the new restricted list, she'd been laboring to make sure every opening hand she drew gave her the biggest bang for her buck.

_Actually, I suppose it's something of a relief. Now I don't have to worry about making my deck's monsters entirely light and dark. It's a dragon deck, not a chaos deck._ She'd already gotten her hands on several valuable additions to her already impressive repository; her entreaties to Chubs were meant as much to try testing her deck as they were to inspire him to move on from... the incident.

She sat back against the edge of her couch, let out her breath, and closed her eyes for a few moments. In her mind's eye, she could still remember the day Kyle had vanished, as vividly as if it had been just this morning. With a magician, no less – and what his reasons were for going with such a man was anybody's guess. The possibilities that entered her mind were entirely unpleasant, and crazier, even, than Kyle's forced duel with Chubs.

_I'm going to drive myself insane trying to think about the possibilities. I need to stay focused. Kyle did what he did for a reason. Being the person he'd become by that point, it had to have been a good one – and if the opportunity to come back presented itself, he'd take it in an instant. I know that much about him. Besides, he's a survivor. Damn morose at times, but still a survivor. He wouldn't want me obsessing over the whole thing the way I am._

But it wasn't quite that simple for her. Ever since the revelation that magic was indeed real, as were disembodied spirits, Monica's mind was open to possibilities she'd never before considered. And a great number of those possibilities were dazzling and frightening. Among them, of course, was the possibility that the magicians would return to haunt Kyle's friends.

She shook her head at that one. _No, no. Coming after us wouldn't do them any good because he's had no contact with us for more than a month. If one of theirs has him, then they've already got what they want. Chubs doesn't know it... at least, not the way I do... but Kyle may actually be keeping him safe just by not being here._

She banged her head against the seat of the couch in frustration. _I'm going bonkers. I need to talk to someone about it – if only to share with them the thoughts I have on the subject. The only other person who knows about the whole affair is Jade, and she could be anywhere. Little chance of finding her._

She sighed, and grabbed the phone. _Guess that means I'll have to spill the beans and sound totally crazy doing it. There's really only one person I can even try to convince right now._

–

Zack sighed and dropped an armload of groceries onto the stoop. _After this week, I deserve some junk food. And a day off._ He flipped through his keys as the whirlwind events of the previous week went through his mind – the orders for cards had increased exponentially at the slightest rise in prices, which of course had been the plan all along, but of course his co-workers had tied up his phone line for half of each of his days trying to figure out what the hell they were supposed to do.

He slipped his apartment key into the knob, then unlocked the door and stepped inside – and on top of a stack of mail that had been slipped in through the mail slot. He rolled his eyes, then grabbed up the groceries still on the stoop and took both overloaded bags to his kitchenette. He rested them against the knife rack, then stepped back to the mail pile and picked up the rather large stack of envelopes.

_Larger than even I would expect_, he thought, frowning. And his expression only continued to darken as he realized that several pieces weren't even addressed to his name.

Instead, the addressee's name was simply "Jade".

"What the hell?" he said aloud.

He discovered another envelope at the bottom of the stack that didn't have a return address on it, but instead only bore "Zack" across the front in green ink.

_Let me guess_, he thought, and he opened that letter first. His teeth were set to grinding by the time he finished reading; like most communiqués he'd received from her, this one was short and to the point. _As if my blood pressure wasn't enough of a concern already..._

But he was quick to notice that the slip of paper also bore a phone number. He quickly snatched up his private phone and dialed.

It rang twice before being answered, and then Jade's voice, set against a backdrop of traffic sounds, said brightly, _"That didn't take nearly as long as I expected. What's up?"_

"The number of letters this apartment is getting," he answered dryly. "This is a prank, right?"

"_Prank? Me?"_

"...Never mind, I forgot who I was talking to. Did you make this little decision by yourself or did someone else put you up to it?"

"_You wound me, Zack. I got tired of them following me around like paper homing missiles. I didn't think you'd mind. Just hold them for me for a little while."_ A blaring horn overpowered her voice for a moment, and when it had faded, she was still talking. _"... them?"_

"Sorry, I didn't catch that last part."

"_I said, are there many of them?"_

He put the phone in the crook of his neck for a moment and flipped through the letters. "Um. Four. And no, I don't mind hanging on to them... but I also wouldn't mind being consulted. It's not like you're living here, after all. You're not going to register my phone number as yours, too, are you?"

"_Of course not,"_ Jade replied, although she sounded a bit subdued after that comment.

He heard the change in her voice and sighed. "Sorry, I've just had a long week. You can drop by anytime to–" Then a thought struck him; it completely bypassed his inhibitions and transmitted directly to his mouth. "Actually... how about we go out to dinner? I can give them to you then and we can relax a little bit."

There was a pause on the line – were it not for the background sounds, Zack might have thought the connection to have been lost completely. Or cut off. But after a moment, she said cautiously, _"Where'd you have in mind?"_

"Uh. Um," he stammered, his heart having stopped during that tenacious silence. "I hadn't really put any thought to it, it just came out..." But then he smiled. "How about that Kelly's place over on 5th Street? Casual sit-down place, large dining room, plenty of space in between customers."

"_Okay,"_ Jade agreed. _"How about, ahh, six o'clock?"_

"Sounds good to me. I'll even bring along some cards if you'd like."

The hesitation had disappeared – or at least, been swallowed up by the static in the connection. _"I'll see you there, then."_

–

Zack couldn't help but glance at his watch for about the tenth time as he pulled into the restaurant's parking lot. _How weird is this?_ he thought. _A first date with someone I thought I'd have nothing in common with, besides an interest in Duel Monsters and the Labyrinth Brothers. This almost reminds me of Kyle and Monica..._

_Wish Kyle was around to see it._

He took a deep breath as he got out of his car and approached the restaurant. There was a bench outside the door; he took a seat and looked out to the sunbathed lot. A rather brisk breeze was whistling through the area; he pulled his jacket a little more tightly around him. _Good thing I brought this. It may be bright but it's getting colder._

It was closer to 6:30 when a taxi pulled up in front of the restaurant and discharged Jade, who flushed and looked guiltily at Zack. "You would be one of the few guys who show up on time," she sighed.

He waved it off. "It's okay, I'm just glad you came," he responded. "Wasn't sure whether you'd leave me out in the cold or not... literally speaking." He suppressed a shiver from the wind.

"Heh." Jade was looking chilled herself. "Let's go inside."

"Novel idea." He opened the door for her – the interior's heating system became readily apparent from the blast of warm air that greeted both of them.

A waitress bounced up to them, looking far too giddy to be standing two meters from the door and wearing a skirt at the same time. "Welcome to Kelly's. We've got two here?"

Zack nodded. "Non-smoking, please." Then he looked at Jade. "That is, assuming you don't..."

"That's fine," Jade said hurriedly. "No, I don't."

The waitress nodded, then guided the two of them to a quiet booth in the corner of the dining room... notably away from the windows and near the central fireplace. She placed two menus on the table, then asked, "Anything to drink, for starters?"

"Tea, please. Extra sugar," Jade said, taking off her coat and putting it on the seat beside her.

The waitress nodded again, then turned to Zack, who said, "Sprite, please."

"Okay, and I'll be back in a few minutes to get your order." She offered them a parting smile before turning to attend to a pair of patrons demanding their check.

Zack removed his jacket and draped it over the chair next to him, then grabbed one of the menus and leaned back, perusing the selection. "So. I guess this wasn't a situation either of us anticipated."

"Not really," Jade admitted. "You brought those letters?"

"Yeah." He dug the items out of his jacket, then handed them over. "I don't suppose you get many bills."

"Not many," she agreed, flipping through them as he had done earlier. Seeing they were all addressed more or less the same – with as little information as possible – she opened one and started reading.

"Can I ask where you were when I called you?" he requested.

"Chicago," she said with a shrug, busying herself with her teacup.

He blinked. "That's a bit of a distance from here. You get around, don't you?"

Jade opened another letter. "I do try," she replied, skimming through the rest of the letter. Then she crumpled it into a ball and pushed it to the edge of the table, and reached for the next one. "Actually, I had some business there."

"Should I ask what kind of business?" His expression became one of amusement. "Or do I even need to?"

"You probably don't need to," she agreed.

He tried not to let his expression sour, and ended up making it more of a mocking scowl. "Consorting with a rival, eh?"

"Why, Zack," she said with excessive surprise, "is that jealousy I hear?"

Zack's dramatic declaration was, "And to think, all this time, I thought I was the only one! Oh, what a world."

Although his jibe was well-intentioned, some of the color drained from Jade's face, though she quickly masked it by taking another sip of her tea. He noted the gesture, and searched for another topic of conversation. "Been to any tournaments lately?"

"Not any worth mentioning," she answered, noticing the waitress returning with her order pad in hand. "But then, after Battle City, everything seems a little... tame."

"True."

The waitress smiled politely at them and readied her quick-draw pen with practiced ease. "Have you decided what you'll be having this evening?"

"You go first," she demurred, "I haven't decided yet."

"Mm. My particular favorite is the catfish platter," he replied. "Mashed potatoes and fried apples on the side. Forget the corn... we get enough of that in this region as it is."

Jade took another moment to peruse the menu before making her selection. "Oriental chicken salad. Half-size, please."

The waitress scrawled Jade's order onto her pad, then gave them both another smile. "All right. Should be ready in about ten to fifteen minutes." Then she left them to each other.

There was a prolonged silence between them while Jade continued through her correspondence. A wry thought entered Zack's mind – _okay, so maybe not exactly like Kyle and Monica... those two shoot the breeze just for the sake of making sure there's noise about._ He took a few sips of his drink. _Monica hasn't been taking his disappearance very well. Chubs has taken it for the worst. Me?_

_... Not sure what to make of it. But Monica knows something._

Jade's eyes flickered up from her last letter. "Something's on your mind."

He arched an eyebrow. "You're a perceptive one."

"You would be, too, if you were me."

Zack considered, then waved the thought away with a dismissive swipe of his hand. "Nothing you need to worry about."

"Didn't say I was worried about your preoccupations, Zack, but you asked me out and I agreed. Trust me, I'd have told you if I wasn't interested." She sat back and folded up the letter, then held it up for emphasis. "These command exactly one percent of my attention span. We can sit here in contemplative silence, or we can talk. I'm guessing you'd prefer the latter, and I wouldn't mind it so much myself."

Zack smiled, opened his mouth to begin the topic he had in mind–

And his cell phone rang, right on cue.

He groaned, sat back, and dug through his coat pockets in search of the device. "Sorry," he mumbled to Jade; for that, he received merely a small smirk, along with an expression of _I've been there before_.

He found the cell on its fourth ring – it was tucked away in one of the coat's inner pockets. _Thank God._ He examined the caller ID on his screen and blinked; it was Monica. He hit the Talk button and pressed the phone to his ear. "Hey, Mo... I'm actually at dinner right now, is it important?"

"_A little."_ There was a pause. _"You're not at your apartment?"_

"No, I'm at a diner and having a lovely conversation about the awkwardness of contemplative silence."

"_What, you're on a date?"_

"Something like that."

"_Really. Who's the lucky girl?"_

"Only about the most elusive human being I've ever met." He glanced across the table to gauge Jade's reaction; another smirk crossed her face.

"_... You're on a date... with Jade?"_

"Yeah, a little bit, so like I said, is it important? I can call you back once I get home."

"_I... wow. Yeah, I guess so. I wanted to talk with you about Kyle, but it can wait."_

He straightened slightly. "Kyle? What, is he back?" Jade also perked at the mention of Kyle's name – if her attention hadn't already been piqued, it most certainly was now.

"_No, not like that. I mean, I wanted to... tell you what happened. I wanted to talk to someone about it and Chubs won't listen. ... This is stupid. I'm sorry I called. I'll talk to you later."_

Before Zack could protest, he heard a _click_. A glance at his phone's screen confirmed that she'd hung up.

"What about Kyle?" Jade inquired.

Zack frowned and tucked his phone back into his coat pocket. "Not sure. She said something about wanting to tell me 'what happened'. I do know there's stuff she's not telling me. She said I'd think she was crazy."

"I suppose that all depends on your definition of 'crazy'," she replied blandly. "What _did_ she tell you?"

"Well... she told me about Chubs getting hanged by a bunch of whack jobs in robes after losing a duel to Kyle, and that Kyle rescued her from another bunch of the same sort of people. Sounded to me like they were getting harassed by those freaky-looking ghouls in black running all around Domino that day; I heard some pretty gritty stuff went down for a bunch of other people there."

Jade offered only a nod – she'd seen, just as Zack had, the various men whose bodies and faces were hidden beneath dark robes and hoods. But these were not the magicians.

"Then she said the day after, Kyle 'was there one minute, then gone the next'. She was exactly that vague about it. I knew even before she said it that there was something major she was holding back." He frowned again, then turned to his coat and dug the cell phone back out – and hit the Power button. _For good measure. This is a conversation that really ought not be interrupted by anything now, save for food._ "And she said you were there the morning he disappeared."

She gave another single nod. "I was."

He spread his hands. "Then, what's going on here?"

"Something way bigger than most people would be willing to accept."

"I'm not most people."

"And yet, ironically, that's what most people say."

He scoffed. _I hate it when she's right._ "Look, before Kyle was my friend, he was Chubs's friend... but now Chubs believes that Kyle abandoned their friendship in favor of some kind of gold shield that matches the pendant he always wears. I can't pretend that makes the slightest shred of sense to me, either this thing about a shield or Kyle willingly throwing away his best friend's life to win a duel. So right now, even an insane theory would sound better to me than a complete lack of any theories whatsoever. I can't believe what Chubs thinks is actually true... that's just not the sort of person Kyle is. So I'm stuck with no explanation at all until somebody speaks up."

She pursed her lips, leaned forward, and crossed her arms loosely across the top of the table. "What if the facts are beyond your ability to comprehend?"

"Then I'll say so, and you can feel free to break it down to me like I'm the most retarded man on the planet. But right now, let me be the one to determine what's within my own realm of comprehension."

She hesitated.

And then she began to talk.


	22. Balance of Power

_Later That Evening  
_–

Zack was lying down on his futon, otherwise he might have tried to lean back. He consulted the notepad on which he'd written everything he could remember, then set the notepad down – an action he'd repeated three times already. He drew a breath and let half of it out, courteously away from the speaker.

"Yeah. It checks out."

He could hear more than a touch of surprise in Monica's voice. _"It 'checks out'?"_

"It does."

"_What's that supposed to mean?"_

"Jade told me everything."

"_What?"_

"She stressed what details were the most important, but she told me everything. You're both reasonable people. You're professionals, and you're rivals. There's no way the two of you could have agreed with each other long enough to come up with a story that grandiose on your own... so I don't really see what the alternative is to believing you."

"_You got Jade to tell you what happened to Kyle? ... Then why were you so insistent I tell you what happened? She's a pretty cold and calculating sort."_

"Even cold and calculating sorts go insane sometimes. Given Jade's tendency to become frighteningly obsessive over her goals, it might not have been a stretch for me to decide that's what became of her. Now I know she was telling the truth, and I know you're telling the truth." He stretched his legs out. "But here's what I don't get. Where did this 'Theoris' character come from? Has he been in that shield the whole time? How old _is_ the shield, anyway?"

"_I honestly don't know, Zack. Kyle said there's no way of knowing exactly how old Theoris and the shield are, they're estimating around four or five thousand years. There aren't any records left of that era. Just a few relics. Kyle said Theoris's spirit entered the shield as he died."_

"How?"

"_Magically, I'm guessing."_

"Well, I mean, how'd he die?"

"_He was a soldier, Zack. Soldiers are known to do that."_

Zack scoffed, then continued. "You said that he and Kyle were determined to find his daughter, then vanished with one of these magician types."

"_Yeah. I don't know what could have happened between that night and the next morning that could make Kyle go off with one of them."_

"Is it possible the guy might not have been like the others?"

"_I thought about that. I guess anything's possible... never really understood that phrase until all this freaky stuff started happening. It's about the most comforting solution I could come up with."_

"Sounds like it works to everyone's advantage, then. Assuming this guy was aiming to help Kyle instead of take his shield, the rest of us don't need to worry so much about these magicians bugging us, and Kyle can focus on what he needs to." He sat up. "I can understand why you don't think Chubs would receive this well."

"_Yeah, and there's no telling when Kyle will be back. Or even if he'll come back at all."_

"Don't think like that, Mo. I'm willing to bet Kyle would want you to keep on with your life as normal. I don't think he'd have gone off on this little quest all by himself otherwise."

"_Don't you think he'd want Chubs to know the truth, though? As compared to what Chubs thinks happened..."_

"As compared to that, I'm sure he would, but you and I both know Chubs would categorize us as certifiable and throw us bodily out of the house if we told him. Most likely, the only way he'd believe any of it was if he were to actually meet Theoris. And that's not exactly likely to happen right now."

"_So what do we do?"_

"For the moment, nothing. Chubs doesn't want to talk about Kyle, let's respect that. Maybe we can get him to play other games with us, but give him time before suggesting a duel. We could even duel each other in front of him. No disks or anything. Just don't try to fold him back into it yet, it's still too soon for him. He has to deal with it in his own way."

"_His own way is to blow off the most loyal friend he's ever had."_

"Yeah, but there isn't anything we can do about that right now. It's been a month. Give him another. And if need be, another after that. As many as it takes."

"_Give him that long and there'll be no chance for Kyle to salvage this. Chubs'll consider Kyle his mortal enemy for the rest of his life."_

"After everything you and Jade have told me, that would seem to be the least of Kyle's problems."

–  
_One Week Later  
_–

Kyle swiftly stoked the waning campfire with his bare heel, and looked across it to Djeserkare. Neither of them had spoken aloud for most of the day. They hadn't needed to. But now, Kyle was stumbling upon a revelation that could not be kept silent.

"I've lost track of time. I don't know how long we've been here."

A raspy chuckle escaped from under Djeserkare's hood. "This is a good thing. It means you have been giving your thought to that which matters more – your rescue of Abana, and the inevitable confrontation with the mage clan."

Kyle drew his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms about them. "I suppose. But for all the time we've been here, you haven't told me why you're in exile."

The old man's shoulders slumped. "It is rather a simple thing. I became curious. I wished to know about the outside world. Though we are desert dwellers, something within me ached to know if the desert ended somewhere."

"You were exiled because you wanted to explore?"

"The clan demands obedience and discourages questions and independent desires."

"But you told me that members of your clan travel to remote locations across the world. To train their powers. What's the difference?"

"They did as they were told to do. I did not wish to visit places where I would see nothing but the elements in whose use I was to train. I wanted more than this. I quelled this desire for a very long time, of course... but it became stronger with the passage of that time, and it finally overwhelmed me. I rationalized that with the powers of Transit and Illusion, I would be completely invisible to the outside world. I left the temple without permission – and was barred from re-entering."

Kyle blinked. "What happened then?"

Djeserkare offered a slight shrug. "I became unfettered by the edicts of my clan when they prevented my re-entry into the temple grounds, and so I began to travel, as I had wished to do. I did not expect to last two days, but my powers of Transit had grown to such an extent that I was able to send myself over vast distances with but a single thought. I had not known just how vast these distances could be, until my final attempt to leave the desert before death beneath the sun. I sent myself into the waters beyond the west coast of this island you call Africa." A wry smile crawled across his craggy features. "I had never seen so much water in my life, and thus had never learned to swim."

"Then you were rescued, I take it?"

The old man nodded. "By fishermen. But not before drinking deeply of the water. I believed it to be a sign of the gods, that they had spared my life for some purpose. I did not know the poisons of seawater. I was driven mad, for a time, and this became my reason for speaking a dialect none of my rescuers and healers recognized."

"What did you think of the world you found yourself in?"

Djeserkare shook his head. "There is no term for it. I was entirely overwhelmed. I had no concept of technology. I thought it all to be madness from the water, or magic I did not yet understand. It took me some time to understand that the world has largely forgotten about magic, in favor of science. It took even longer for me to understand modern languages... but learning is a passion of mine, and it was a challenge I accepted.

"But the modern world truly had no place for me. The gods themselves have been reduced by non-believers to myths and outdated superstitions. To this day, I am utterly confounded by the idea of those that wish to deny the existence of even a _single_ god, never mind _all_ the gods the human race has worshipped." He leaned forward, in genuine curiosity. "What gods do you believe in, Kyle?"

"I, uh..." Kyle could only offer Djeserkare a somewhat embarrassed smile. "My family used to go to church, but we sort of dropped off once I hit my teens. They were too busy trying to keep their eyes on me and make sure I stayed out of trouble... I actually can't remember the last time I went."

"That is not what I asked. What gods do you believe in?"

Kyle sighed. Bizarrely, a vague memory of the Nicene Creed passed through his mind. _I believe in God the Father, Creator of Heaven and Earth..._

_But do I?_

He turned his gaze to his feet, now half-buried in the sand before the fire. "Honestly... I'm not entirely certain. I guess the word for me is 'agnostic'. For years, I've just never really taken the time to ponder my religious beliefs. I was taught the religion of Christianity but never really gave it my full attention."

"Christianity. This is a religion that believes in a single god who came to this world in human form, so that he could properly show the inhabitants the power of his love and grace... yet was ultimately murdered by his own kin for not being whom they desired him to be." Djeserkare shook his head. "Strange, that a god supposedly endowed with omnipotence and omniscience should wish to take human form, simply to die a terrible death."

"It makes the story a little more personal, I guess," said Kyle. "Until that time, God was just some distant being with limitless powers whose motives couldn't be fathomed. Then God becomes a man in the form of Jesus... lives a human life. Gets down and dirty with the rest of us. Suffers and dies more terribly than most. It'd be like... nurturing an ant farm, then choosing to become an ant just to see what it's like. And to let them know on a personal level, someone out there cares. Some might not accept that and some might want to silence you for it, but the word is out for others. They know they're not alone. They never have been. They just didn't understand who was with them until now."

Another craggy smile crept to Djeserkare's lips. "Perhaps you paid more attention during your younger years than you give yourself credit for. Perhaps you have more faith, as well..." His voice trailed off, and he hid a series of rasping coughs behind his fist, bending slightly forward as he did so.

Kyle sighed. "Djeserkare, I can tell you're sick. You should be resting."

"I am not exerting myself. I will survive, for now."

"For now, maybe. But you're getting worse every day."

"It has not yet hindered me into postponing your lessons. So long as you continue to learn at your current pace, you will be finished before that time." The Egyptian hid another cough behind his fist, then dropped his arm. "You have more questions."

Kyle was less than thrilled at the ominous tone of Djeserkare's argument. _He could be dying, for all I know._ But clearly the old man meant for him to let it alone for now, so let it alone, he would. "You've shown me how to copy the effects of your powers through using the Shield for reflection... but you haven't told me how your powers work."

Djeserkare's response bore a tone of amusement. "You had not yet asked." He reached up and pushed his hood back, letting it fall between his shoulders. Then he unclasped the robe at his neck, and revealed to Kyle a glinting, orb-like jewel embedded in a gold necklace. The jewel seemed to have a slight purplish glow to it, and down the center was a black streak that looked remarkably like–

"Cat's eye," Kyle murmured.

"A variant of it, yes," Djeserkare concurred. "The closest term I have been able to offer it is 'conduit'. It is the vessel through which the power of our will is transformed into fuel for the abilities at our disposal. When the jewel is first touched by its owner, it takes from that owner a large portion of his willpower, his inner strength..." The elder man's face twisted as he sought the proper terminology. "They have been known by many names, such as 'chi' and 'soul'. The Egyptian names for these energies are _baa_ and _kaa_. This transference of _baa_ and _kaa_ is very painful, but it only occurs once in the entire lifetime of the owner, and will obey the commands of the owner from that time forward. Simply put, as long as I am alive, my Conduit talisman will answer to my call – and mine alone."

Kyle's brow creased. "Where did it come from?"

"The temple was built upon the foundations of a vast deposit of this material. It was touched by a chaotic magic even older than that of the Millennium items. Some say by the gods themselves, at the creation of the world. My people carve and refine it into talismans such as this. It comes in many different colors, each representing a different elemental power."

"This Conduit talisman has no elemental abilities of its own?"

"None. When the energies within it are diminished through use of its power, it draws from its owner to replace what is lost. The replenishing is a distracting sensation at first, but given time, it becomes as trivial as a breeze across your back. However, great expenditures of energy will require a greater amount to be drawn from the owner as a matter of compensation."

Djeserkare looked Kyle in the eye. "Know that it is possible to overextend oneself by spending too much energy at once. In that event, the draw of this talisman upon the _baa_ and _kaa_ of the owner can be overwhelming. The consequence is intense pain, followed by the trance. The trance can be delayed for a short time, if one has the will, but will last longer if it is."

"How long can one of these trances last?"

"It depends on how much energy was spent, and how long it was delayed. Minutes. Hours. Days. The trance has been known to kill through starvation and thirst."

_So we face the magicians and force them to overextend themselves... they'll be incapacitated by their own hand. Still, I'm not crazy about our odds... can the shield really stand up to so many at once?_

_**What alternatives have we? From what Djeserkare has told us, it would appear that they are not to leave the temple grounds without express permission. A vast majority of them will be inside, not outside.**_

_Which might make it awful embarrassing for us – what if we can't even get in the front door?_

_**Of the many humiliating things that might happen to us on this errand, I would not include that among them.**_

Kyle inspected the talisman another moment, then looked back at Djeserkare. "Okay. So... if I'm following correctly, then you have two other talismans on you – one for Transit, one for Illusion. Am I right?"

"You are," Djeserkare confirmed, and he slid the sleeves of his robe back. A pair of wide gold bracelets encircled his wrists; on the left, there was a silvery, almost crystalline jewel inset, while on the right, there was a bright red gem. Both had a dark cat's eye streak down the center.

He held up his left wrist for close inspection. "Illusion..." He followed with his right. "Transit. These are the powers in which I showed the greatest aptitude. If I had obeyed the directives of my clan, I would eventually have been employed as a spy. Conceivably I might have met you as an enemy instead of as a friend."

_**Which means conceivably he could have been dead by now.**_

_I thought you said you only pitied these people instead of wished death upon them. Why the change of mind?_

_**The more we learn, the more apparent it becomes that they wish only my destruction, and yours. You are more a son to me than any of them – they mean nothing to me.**_

_They're your daughter's children. Abana won't come with us if we go in there murdering them. And they won't learn anything._

_**Not all magicians have shown the same interest in knowledge as Djeserkare.**_

_Then we'll force it down their throats._

_**Force what down their throats?**_

_The truth. Absolute power corrupts absolutely, and it has. They've gone astray – they don't even know what living is about. We're going to make them find out._

_**How?**_

_... I haven't figured that out yet. ... Dammit, Theoris, you broke my confident streak._

_**My apologies.**_

Kyle rolled his eyes; the tone of Theoris's voice in that last comment suggested sarcasm. "You told me members of the clan focus on those powers they show the most promise in. What are the most common ones?"

"Every mage who ventures beyond the temple grounds has a Transit talisman. Many also have an Illusion talisman. The elements of Earth, Fire, Water, Wind, and Light are almost evenly dispersed, and you are not likely to find anyone who has more than one of these."

"And Darkness?"

Djeserkare's expression soured. "Mastery over Darkness... is quite rare. And in many of those cases, the users have been driven to complete madness."

"What happened to them?"

"Some ended their own lives quite gruesomely. Others entered the mine and were never seen afterward. Still others ran out into the desert, and perished there. Since the forging of the first Darkness talismans, there has been no need to excavate for more."

Kyle hid a wince. _Just perfect. And here we thought we were dealing with insanity already._ "What powers did they demonstrate before they went crazy?"

"Many of the same powers as you yourself possess, in fact. They were able to call forth creatures from the Realm of Shadows. They could initiate Shadow Games and institute any penalties they desired. They were also capable of calling shadows into physical forms, but only forms that match the item casting the shadow."

Kyle tried to follow. "So if one were to manifest a shadow of a Coke cup, they couldn't just turn it into a sword."

"Correct."

"I'm not likely to encounter someone with these powers?"

"Not nearly as likely as you are to encounter all the others. But I cannot tell you that you will not see Darkness acting against you. Truthfully, I am very curious to know how you have mastered the powers of Darkness within your Millennium Shield without going mad."

"Yet, anyway." Kyle shrugged. "Maybe it's because the shield acts like your Conduit gem, but without the effect of drawing my own life force away from me. Your life energy feeds your power, but the Shadow Realm is beyond just Darkness. It's..." He pondered for a moment. "I guess, in a weird way, it's alive. It's malevolent, and clever, and sneaky. If you dangle a carrot on a stick in its face, it'll eat the carrot and then follow the stick, knowing there's much more at the other end, before you've even got time to react."

Djeserkare mused on that. "I see... perhaps that is their failing. They treat it as an element of existence – not a creature of intelligence."

Kyle shifted in place. "The man that claimed to be Theoris's grandson said that for every member of your clan sent to the Shadow Realm, their powers grow. Do you have any idea how that's possible?"

"Ideas, perhaps, but nothing based on, as you call it, 'hard evidence'." Djeserkare stroked his beard. "My experience with the Darkness talismans was very limited. I could not command the powers they offer. So instead, I watched as my successors made their attempts at control. Those few adepts among them almost invariably lost themselves to the Darkness... yet each successive loss appeared to have both greater potential, greater control, and greater longevity than the last. Yet each was last seen further into the throes of madness than the last. It was enough to make me take my business elsewhere."

_What if... the Shadow Realm's consumption of the magicians and their energies... somehow leaves behind a greater repository of Conduit power? Easier to access, easier to convert, exclusive to Darkness..._

Theoris completed the thought. **_...and for every mage sent there, those remaining have even greater power._**

"Can Darkness users use their power to enter, or be drawn into, the Shadow Realm itself?" Kyle asked, worried about both possible answers to the question.

Djeserkare was rising to his feet, an indication that this was the end of the campfire conversation. "I am not certain," he said. "Entering the Darkness was never attempted in the presence of mentors. But those bearers of the Darkness talismans who perished in the desert and the mine left their clothing behind."

He turned and retreated into his hut.

_I'm starting to think that wasn't by their own choice..._

_**We have a problem.**_

_A big problem._ Kyle threw a handful of sand over the fire. _Darkness is my only real power – but if I use it, I only end up further empowering them!_


	23. Falling Toward Apotheosis

_A/N: Okay, so it's been quite a long time since I updated this story. Has it been a year already? I've been in a writing slump - lame excuse but it's the only one I have. But I've set a deadline for myself and I mean to meet that deadline. I also mean to provide those of you who still read my work with the best I can possibly offer. So I hope you'll indulge me as I work towards finishing this story - and you have my assurance this will not happen for a good while yet. This latest update includes two chapters. Have fun, all!_

–  
_Four Days Later  
_–

The mustachioed man – Tim, she'd heard Kyle call him – was giving her a strange look. She scoffed. "C'mon, at least take it so you don't have to throw his stuff out on the curb. That'd take a couple days and you probably have better things to do."

"He hasn't been here in a month and a half. I know it's not really up to me to decide where he spends his time, but he could at least pay the rent himself. Why's he having you do it?"

Monica shook her head. "He's not. I'm doing this as a favor to both of you."

He gave her a quick up-and-down glance. "He hasn't been making the place co-ed or anything, has he? Not like I mind, I'd just like to be told if someone else is living in there..."

"Nothing like that. I don't have a key to the place or anything. But you want rent money and I'm pretty sure he'd want his stuff to stay where it is until he gets back."

Tim blew a quick breath, causing the hairs of his mustache to flap. "Well, all right, then," he sighed, taking the proffered check. "Just be sure you know what you're doing. I don't want you covering this place forever. Man's gotta pull his own weight."

She tilted her head. "Why do you care where the money comes from?"

"'Cause you've probably got other things you wanted to spend it on, and you'd have had every right to while I heartlessly evicted him. If he's not gonna be the one to own up, then that's the logical conclusion. I won't have you feeling like you owe me every month. Unless you're living there, it should be his money and not yours. That's just the way it goes for me."

She pursed her lips. In a way, it made sense – yes, she would have liked to spend the money on the latest Duel Monsters cards. Post-Battle City production was off the charts and so was the demand. She would have liked very much to tease Zack into helping her get some of the best cards available wholesale, then have him tease her back about favoritism and eventually sell the cards at discounted price.

But Kyle's rent money was not insignificant, and Monica had sworn to herself she was only going to spend so much per month. Duel Monsters cards were not exactly necessities right now.

_Neither is paying someone else's rent,_ a voice in the back of her mind reminded her. _He's right, you can't keep covering for Kyle like nothing's wrong. What if he never comes back?_

_Oh, shut up_, she responded. She headed for the parking lot and got in her car – which, conveniently, she'd parked in his spot. Somehow she'd known he wouldn't be back in the amount of time it took to give the landlord a reason not to give an absent tenant the boot.

She rested her head against the steering wheel for a moment. _Get hold of yourself, would you? You've got studying to do._ And it wasn't just school studies plaguing her thoughts; the latest onslaught of Duel Monsters cards had sent even the most experienced duelists reeling from the sudden new selection. She used to pride herself on knowing what every card could do and what their limitations were. Now it appeared as though even the developers were itching to bring newbies into the field and give them a fair chance against the seasoned veterans by catching them off-guard. _Sort of like he ended up doing._

The smallest of smiles crossed her features. _He showed me that even the most unlikely person can make it all the way to the top. He has in my book._

_I just wish he was here with me now._

A far cry, she realized, from her feelings toward him the day he'd returned from his family vacation last year – was it only a year ago? _It seems like so much longer..._ So much had happened during all that time... she wasn't sure if she could process it all in linear fashion even if she wanted to.

_The night he beat me in Duel Monsters, much to everyone's astonishment... all those days he gave me flowers even though I didn't know... the night he let me stay in his apartment even though I hated him... the dates we went on... the tabloid... the night he kissed me..._

In spite of what had happened to her almost directly after that last incident, she might very well have been willing to re-live all of it in exchange for having that one moment again. _It wasn't just a kiss brought on by a sudden, urgent need for someone_, she knew. _It took too long for our relationship to develop for something like that to be spontaneous. I don't care what Freud says, there was no repressed sexual tension between us._

_We just..._

She rolled her eyes. Why wasn't this relationship, the one she most wanted, being as simple as all her other ones had been? But she knew the answer to that question even before her mind finished formulating it – the others, she'd just played with. He was the first person she found herself genuinely wanting to pursue a deeper relationship with. The others might have been expendable; she didn't want to lose him.

She sighed, then raised her head and turned the key. _Got a full weekend ahead of me._

–  
_That Evening  
_–

Zack heard the front door open and close, and clenched his eyes shut against the light flooding in, burying his face in the mattress lying prostrate across his living room floor amidst the clutter of his business. "Y'know, I have the blinds drawn for a reason."

"Studies show that not getting enough sunlight can lead to depression and encourage people to oversleep and overeat. Just from looking at you I can tell you meet two of those criteria right now. At least tell me there's still something edible in your cabinets other than Halloween candy." Jade gave a pointed glance toward Zack as she sorted through the stack of mail waiting for her on the countertop.

Zack scoffed and rolled over to look at her, propping his head up on one hand. "Leftover candy? No, the little hellions bled me dry last night. By the way, were you aware there are laws against breaking and entering in the state of Indiana?"

"I see no broken things. I just entered. With your permission, as I recall."

"I said you could come over and get your mail. Was 'feel free to knock first' not implicit? I'm not all that decent at the moment." He gestured at himself – at the moment he was only wearing a pair of blue jeans.

She arched an eyebrow at him. "I think we've all been through health and human biology classes – I'm not seeing anything I didn't already know about."

"Yeah. I'll have you know that scares the hell out of me, by the way."

She tore open one piece of mail that apparently was worth more attention than those which had already made it into her purse. "If it worries you so much, put on a shirt next time I call. Not that hard."

"I could've been naked in here."

"You're not that spontaneous." A frown creased her brow as she inspected the letter. "Did you get one of these?"

"One of what?"

She flipped the envelope around for him to see – the upper left corner, normally the bearer of a return address, had only _Industrial Illusions_ emblazoned across it in stylized red lettering. "They're doing a tournament."

"That was fast," Zack remarked. "Not to be outdone by KaibaCorp."

"And not much notice either. It happens in two weeks." She made a noise of slight annoyance. "I had plans."

"Sounds like they just got cancelled."

"Better believe it." She turned and headed for the door.

Zack cocked an eyebrow. "Leaving so soon?"

She stopped but didn't turn around. "Didn't sound to me like you had all that many reasons for me to stick around. Best not to overstay my welcome."

He shrugged. "I guess I'll have to keep my recently expanded repository of rare Spellcaster cards to myself, then."

She turned and gave him an odd look. "The next pack isn't due out for two months."

"Maybe the next ordinary pack. What about the premiums?" Zack rolled over, reached for a binder, then rolled back in her direction and opened it to the first page. "Series 1 and 2 just came out in English print yesterday. Dealers like yours truly tend to get in early orders well in advance. We also have an unspoken agreement to keep info like that to ourselves, so..." He held a finger to his lips to complete the thought, and then offered her a coy grin.

Her green eyes narrowed just slightly. "Give me names."

"Silent Magician... Sage of Stillness... Sage of Silence... Mei-Kou, Master of Barriers... and a sweet little number called Arsenal Summoner, designed specifically to retrieve from your deck monsters with the word 'Guardian' in their names."

With each name, Jade's effort at restraining the glimmer in her eyes became more obvious, but on the final one, she stopped short. "Industrial Illusions reprinted that card in Japan because they felt it was necessary to exclude a number of monsters with that qualification."

"True. But it's not among them." _No need_, he thought, _to explain which one I'm talking about._

The gleam in her eyes was unmistakable now. In answer to her unspoken inquiry, he closed the binder and held it out. "Go ahead."

She didn't hesitate.

–  
_Midnight  
_–

Kyle was doing his best to envision the desert in the daytime. As usual, the fantasy wasn't working. The fire had blown out some time ago, leaving him to try to find cover amidst the trees and other sparse vegetation of the oasis.

_I was never in Boy Scouts. I don't know the first thing about starting a fire on my own, other than you rub two sticks together and watch what happens – whoosh! That or you strike a couple stones against each other near the sticks._

_**So you have said. Time and time again. Has observing Djeserkare not offered you some idea? We have been in Egypt for an inordinately long period of time, after all.**_

_My idea was that he got out a spyglass or something and started frying it. For that, you need sunlight, and we seem to be fresh out._

_**You would also need a spyglass. There is no evidence of one in the immediate vicinity.**_

_How helpful._ He sighed. _You're from a time period where nobody had lighters. How did you manage to get a fire going? Surely you had cold nights too._

_**We were not barbarians, Kyle. We also had shelter, blankets...**_

_Okay, okay._ Kyle inspected his arms; both were terribly sunburned, as were his legs and torso. He was quite certain his face and back were no better. A minor sandstorm had swept through the area days ago and had done absolutely nothing to soothe his flesh; and though he and Djeserkare had huddled within their respective shelters, it was Djeserkare's which persevered under the assault and Kyle's that collapsed. He'd since resolved to brave the outside elements for a time, because at the time he figured it would be easier than gathering more building materials for a second shelter.

He now found himself seriously reconsidering.

A heavy series of raspy, hacking coughs interrupted his thoughts, and he bowed his head and looked between his knees. Djeserkare was getting worse. He put up a brave and wise front, but Kyle knew that if the old man didn't get some brand of medical attention, in all likelihood a simple problem would be his elder's undoing.

_It's like he's spreading our "lesson plan" out across the remaining span of his life_, he thought, morbidity creeping into his veins. _Wonder what his final lesson will be._

"So."

Kyle started, then whirled about and got to his feet. Though the darkness of night had fallen over the desert, the field of stars above allowed for just enough light for him to make out a dark-cloaked figure a mere few paces away.

"The great Kyle McCraine has consigned himself to exile. Appropriate that you should now live alongside a traitor. You never cease to amaze us."

Kyle's jaw muscles worked beneath his flesh as he ran through a mental list of options – that list was notably short. "I don't want trouble here."

"Nor do I." A chuckle emitted from beneath the hood the figure wore. "But we cannot always have what we want. You have insulted and embarrassed my brethren since our first meeting. And now you take up with one who was once our own... how like the soldiers of old, who would seek any and all knowledge they could pertaining to their enemy."

"Thanks for the compliment," Kyle responded hotly, "but I'm not sure where this lecture is going. When will you finally realize all your pointless talk is not going to make me relinquish the Millennium Shield? Or did you think you could yammer me to death?"

"In fact, I did not have either of those points when I came here," answered the mage. He took a step closer.

Kyle bared his teeth, and the shield, currently in pendant form about his neck, glowed brilliantly. "Stay away from me."

"As I said... we cannot always have what we want." The mage was now slowly walking towards his prey.

The shield flash even more brightly and expanded to Kyle's arm. "You're not getting this shield."

The magician still paced slowly toward the teen; Kyle began retreating in a bid to maintain distance between them. "Ah, but we are. And not only that, we are also taking your life, for to consort with Djeserkare and have so much knowledge of us when you are not one of us is to welcome your death. There will be no more hiding, Kyle McCraine. Egypt is where all this misfortune began for you... now it is where it will end."

"Stop moving," Kyle growled, "or I will _make_ you stop moving."

The mage drew a weapon from beneath his cloak – Kyle could see the glint of a blade under the starlight. "Demonstrate."

Then the knife and its bearer flew at Kyle, along with a great gust of wind. Kyle was bowled over by the impact, and he kept the shield in front of him, determined to keep the blade from piercing any part of his anatomy most crucial to his survival.

_I'd like to think that all of my anatomy fits that category!_ he thought, desperately wondering if the ruckus was enough to rustle Djeserkare from his shelter and bring him to the younger man's aid.

_**Wait, Kyle... what was the first lesson Djeserkare taught us?**_

Kyle struggled with his enemy, working a knee between them so he could shove the mage away. _He taught us to question everything. To make sure that what we see isn't false. You think he's testing us?_

_**You must never consider it beyond the realm of possibility, given the deceptions he has provided in order to make his point.**_

Kyle rolled to his feet and brought the shield up. _Then hit this guy and let's see if he's what he seems._

A spear of golden light shot from the shield's iris, and struck the magician's torso. It appeared to have no appreciable effect on him, and the light did not penetrate him. _Not like it would an illusion... he's the real thing! We're under attack here!_

_**Kyle!**_

_What?_

_**He is not alone!**_

More beams of light pinwheeled from the shield as Theoris made his declaration; each beam seemed to pierce a veil of air and darkness to reveal at least a dozen more compatriots to Kyle's attacker, rushing toward the oasis with flashing blades.

_I can't fight off all these people by myself, even with the shield!_ Kyle glanced wild-eyed at Djeserkare's shelter. _I have to get to him so we can get out of here!_

"There is no escape from your fate!" shouted the leading mage. "Stay and die by our hands, or flee and die in the desert!"

Then he bolted at Kyle again, eager to make his kill. But too eager; Kyle, this time ready for the full-on attack, sidestepped to his right, spun around, and swept his right arm. The movement would normally have belted his attacker, but with the shield strapped to his arm, it became all the more dangerous. The shield clocked the mage across the temple, instantly felling him.

Less than eager to face the rest of the cadre, Kyle grabbed the mage's knife, then turned and bolted toward the shelter. "Djeserkare!" he shouted. "We've been–!"

But his outburst was cut short when he heard an abrupt cry of surprise and pain from within the modest construct. His eyes widened and he moved as quickly as his legs would carry him. Through the opening, he could see another cloaked figure emerge bearing a knife.

And dripping from that knife was dark blood.

_Oh, no..._

Kyle roared and bull-rushed the figure shield-first. His Millennium item caught the mage across the torso and the impact of his leap caused them both to go skidding back into the shelter. Kyle landed fully atop the cloaked man, pressing his shield down across his chest so hard the other man struggled to recover his breath.

Kyle's face was contorted with dark fury as he saw the knife this man had borne. Not only did it have blood on it, it was bloody all the way to the hilt – whatever injury he'd inflicted on Djeserkare had been deep and almost surely mortal.

And in that moment, Kyle's rage reached an apex he'd never known it to have. He felt his left arm swing back behind him, and then he felt it rocket around in a vicious arc, and he saw the eyes of his prey bulge, and he saw the monster's mouth open in a scream. And he felt his arm move back and forth, and back and forth, and it kept arcing, and the man's features twisted in agony, and Kyle didn't want to–

_**STOP!**_

For the briefest instant, Kyle wanted very much to ignore that directive. But he hesitated nonetheless, and he looked at the man beneath him... truly looked at him.

His face was half-covered with a white beard, now stained red. Kyle could see a myriad of wrinkles and age-spots surrounding eyes that were frozen open.

And vacant.

Kyle scrambled to his feet, appalled. His senses began to malfunction: for an instant, he couldn't hear; another instant, and he could hear again but couldn't feel. It was only when he felt a hand close about his left wrist that he finally reacted to his surroundings; he recoiled with a mixture of fear and fury.

Djeserkare lay there, his free hand clutching his abdomen. Blood was spilling from his mouth. "Kyle," he whispered, "we... we must leave... take my hand..."

–

An inexplicable gust of wind began whirling about the shelter, rattling it and its occupants. One corner of it burst into flame, and only a moment later the entire shelter was engulfed by them. The wind caught the fire and encouraged it further, higher and higher into the air and further out from the shelter's confines. It blazed so brilliantly in the night that none could look at it and not be blinded. It became a towering inferno, burning more intensely than it could have on mere kindling and air.

And then, as if wanting its part in the destruction of its own inhabitants, sand from the oasis intermixed with the whirling firestorm. The flames were smothered, and the entire site was buried beneath wave after crushing wave of sand.

–

Kyle gripped Djeserkare's hand as the old man coughed blood into the sand. They could see the tower of flame in the distance; Kyle didn't need to be any closer to know the oasis had been wiped out. Along with it was anything of any value that had belonged to either of them.

Save for the Millennium Shield – and to Kyle, that was still the most valuable item either of them could have saved.

He looked down at his mentor. "Stay with me, old man."

Djeserkare let out another cough that could have been a chuckle. "Such disrespect for your elders... no wonder they all called you a problem child..."

"This isn't far enough. They could find us any minute."

"Yes... but by the time they arrive, you will already be long gone." Djeserkare's hold on Kyle's hand began to slacken.

"What're you talking about, _I'll_ be long gone? You're getting us out of the desert. We're both gonna die in it if you don't. The shield can't just spirit us away to Tahiti. You know it doesn't work like that!"

"Calm yourself, Kyle." Djeserkare spat on the ground – more blood. "You will have all the resources you need. You already know all that you must."

"No, I don't! I don't know where the temple is! And just copying these powers won't help me defeat the clan!"

Djeserkare drew a shuddering breath and winced as he did so. "No, they will not," he groaned, "which is why you must acquire them."

"The only way to do that is to get my own talismans!"

"Take mine."

Kyle's eyes widened and he shook his head. "I can't. You said it yourself, they'll only obey you."

"All those lessons and you still did not pay full attention. The Conduit talisman answers only to a _living_ owner. When that owner departs this world..." He coughed again. "...the next who grips it will be its master, until he, too, perishes."

He released the wound in his abdomen – dark, almost black blood flowed freely from it – and with shaking hands, he removed his bracelets and his necklace.

Kyle shook his head again. "No. No way. I can't do that."

"You can. And you must. My faith is in you." Djeserkare set the artifacts on the ground, then rolled over and groaned, coughing loudly.

Kyle leaned over him. "Djeserkare–"

"My birthplace was Egypt... let it be also where I die. You must live. Take them and run."

"But–"

"Now...!" Djeserkare erupted into a fit of coughs and noisy gasps – it was clear he wouldn't be able to speak again.

_**Kyle... he is right. We must leave here now. You do not wish to stay and watch him die.**_

_There must be something more I can do..._

_**It is a fatal wound, Kyle. You know it as well as I. There is nothing to be done in this place. Let him die with dignity, and let us take our leave before we are found.**_

Kyle clenched his teeth.

Then he picked up Djeserkare's talismans and began to run.

It didn't even matter where.


	24. Getting Closer

It seemed an eternity, the time Kyle spent scrambling across the desert sands in the Egyptian night. Somewhere in the back of his mind he remembered that most people, when trying to travel in a straight line with no true method of orientation, tended to lean one direction or the other, eventually leading them far off their intended course.

But he had no intended course, except away from the destroyed oasis. And now that it had been wiped off the face of the map, that was a relatively simple task – just keep moving. It didn't really matter what direction.

_It'll eventually start to matter, though,_ he thought. _All I have are my pants, which by this point are more like shorts... I have the shield... and I have Djeserkare's talismans. No food or water. It'll be a miracle if I survive the next twenty-four hours out here in the middle of nowhere._

_**Consider what you have, Kyle. The talismans are precisely what we require to leave the desert.**_

_Even Djeserkare only made it on a hope and a prayer when he was exiled, and he's got a hell of a lot more experience with the thing than I do._

_**Yet clearly it will be necessary to our survival to educate ourselves in their use. From what he told us, it is not dissimilar from controlling the powers the Millennium Shield affords. Perhaps even a measure easier. The talismans have no malevolence in and of themselves. They are tools, not abominations.**_

_Is that what you think about the shield? That it's an abomination?_

_**Perhaps that is not the most accurate term, but the shield is empowered by a force whose entire being is darkness. You would not describe it to be an instrument of Amenti.**_

_You mean heaven. And I guess you're right._ Kyle let out a breath and dropped to his knees in the sand; in the same moment, he also dropped the talismans in front of him and stared at them. _Purple... Conduit. Silver... Illusion. Red... Transit._

He picked up the necklace-bound Conduit talisman first and dangled it by the chain. _It seemed to glow when he first showed it to us._

_**Yet it demonstrates no such light now. He has almost surely perished by now.**_

_He said all I had to do was touch it._

_**And that it is a painful experience when it first takes your essence.**_

_Which is worse – enduring pain, or outright death?_

Theoris didn't answer that question. _**We must hurry; the sun will soon rise.**_

_Then let's get ready._

Kyle drew in a cautious breath, closed his eyes...

...and reached for the jewel.

–  
_The Next Morning  
_–

Chubs awoke. And he took a moment to think before even the simple task of opening his eyes.

_No dreams. Nothing to remember._

He reached up and scratched his cheek as he sat upright. A harsh morning light was filtering into his room between the blinds, the sort of light one expected to see when winter was on its way.

It was strange to think that in three weeks, it would be Thanksgiving. Extended family were planning to come to the Smith household in Decatur for the event. He knew a lot of it was because they wanted to show their love and support to him, even though they'd already done so with calls and cards and other forms of well-wishing that he was perfectly willing to live without.

Not that he didn't appreciate it. He simply wasn't used to being smothered with affection from them.

He got out of bed and grabbed a pair of pants and a hoodie off the floor. His room was a terrible mess and usually his mom got on his case about it... but she'd said nary a word about it in the last few weeks. Not since it happened.

_Post-traumatic stress disorder._ He sighed as he donned the random clothing. _Not a good thing to put on a job application... but even if I didn't, people around here know what happened._

He'd recently seen a television show in which a man suffering from the syndrome Chubs had been diagnosed with was associating music with the sound of police sirens after having been shot. Each time music came up, the man instantly tensed and became erratic.

After seeing that, the nature of the disease seemed clearer to Chubs. More relatable, somehow. He already knew what made him go ballistic – Duel Monsters. In fact, card games of any sort... and several other types of games, as well... seemed to get him started.

Truth be told, it worried him. He wanted to be able to enjoy a nice, no-stakes game with family and friends. It frustrated him that a proceeding as innocuous as a round of Candy Land or Monopoly suddenly felt like he was getting far too little air and sent him outside in a rage of temperament. He'd expressed such a desire to return to gaming on numerous occasions, noting – and more often than not ignoring – his mother's objections.

And even though he still clenched his fists to think about what happened at Battle City, he'd been able to pick up his Duel Monsters cards and shuffle them. Perhaps not quite ready to play a game of it yet, but shuffling a deck was progress, at least in his mind. He'd yelled at Monica about it, but he'd known that she was right. That he'd been exaggerating.

It was the game that had brought him the most unlikely, and at the same time the most loyal, of friends he'd ever known.

The television show he'd watched on the subject had provided some important insights to his condition. But the one insight he took from it, and the one thing above all that encouraged him, was the inquiry the man had made about whether he would continue to fly off the handle whenever hearing music.

_The psychologist said no... and when asked why, he said, "Because we get better."_

And so Chubs was making a conscious effort to get better.

He grabbed his wallet and keys and stuffed them in his pockets. _Time to go out and get better... my way._

"Hey, Mom... I'll be back later."

Mrs. Smith blinked at her son. "Off so soon? To where?"

"The gym."

–

Perhaps it was a new sort of game for him. If so, it didn't produce quite the reaction most others did, and he considered that only a plus. Running on the treadmill for X amount of time, bench-pressing with a spotter and then switching positions for Y amount, leg-pressing for Z amount... there was a certain head-clearing quality to it all.

_Sort of makes me wonder why I didn't start this up before._ He hadn't required physical rehabilitation but somehow he'd grown more conscious of his own weight. Whether it was because the thought had been creeping up on him over time or because he'd been struck by the revelation that his own weight had acted thoroughly against him in the gallows, he couldn't say for sure. He wouldn't have been surprised if the latter was the case, and although he knew that muscle was in fact more dense than fat tissues...

_It's still something I can do for myself._ He snorted as he paced on the treadmill._ I could get a Bowflex and it might save me the trouble of having to come here... but then I wouldn't be out from under everyone else's shadows._

He glanced at the clock and saw his treadmill time was almost up. According to the control panel, he'd run a distance of almost two miles. _Impressive, given my physical condition just a few months ago. I might have been a little more than a prime rib dinner away from sudden cardiac arrest, but still..._

"Need a towel?"

He nearly leapt off the treadmill, and his balance went askew. He steadied himself against the rails lining the control panel and regained the pace, then hit the panel to deactivate the machine. He turned and scowled, expecting to find Monica beside him...

...so he was taken aback when he realized she wasn't.

The brunette standing to his left offered an embarrassed giggle. "Oops. Sorry."

"Jesus Christ, Valerie!" he scoffed.

"Nah, just Valerie," she answered cheerily, and she held up the proffered towel. "And yeah, you do need it."

He nearly snapped it out of her grasp in exasperation. "In case you hadn't noticed, I'm already at my optimal heart rate. I'd like my blood pressure to not suffer a sudden spike, thank you."

"C'mon, don't go acting like you're not glad to see me." Her brandy eyes twinkled, and her sparsely freckled face smiled brightly. "I know you better than that."

"How did you know to find me here?"

Valerie tilted her head to one side. "Aunt Kathy's not exactly that shy about telling people where you are, you know. For safety and all."

Chubs rolled his eyes. "I'm starting to get the feeling she's protecting me from the world a little too much."

"Can you blame her?" Valerie put her hands on her hips. "I'll have you know I was bummed out to see you weren't home when we got into town."

"And what brings the Garron family all the way out to Decatur? Nashua's a bit of a drive from here."

"We took a plane, idiot," she said. "There's that seminar in Indianapolis, remember? Mom decided we may as well come over here after it was over just to visit."

"And they made you tag along for a seminar on a job you've got no interest pursuing?"

"I wanted to come see you." She grinned. "Couldn't resist a chance to hang out with my favorite cousin!"

"_Only_ cousin," Chubs clarified. "And you're awfully giddy today."

"With good reason. I wanted to tell you in person – I've finally been invited to a tournament!"

His eyebrows shot up. "You're kidding."

"Uh-uh." She dug into her pocket and pulled out a slip of paper. "Check it out, see for yourself."

He took the paper and unfolded it to full size. "'Ms. Valerie Garron, Industrial Illusions is inviting you to participate in a closed Duel Monsters tournament scheduled to take place November 15...'" He glanced up at her, a smile spreading across his face. "I still remember having to be patient enough to teach you all the basic rules of the game. You couldn't wait to learn about the exceptions to all those rules."

She grinned. "I couldn't have had a better teacher."

"Well, thank you." He moved to the leg press and sat down. "But these days you might be able to find a more willing one."

"Not likely. New Hampshire's basically a state chock-full of crusty old people. They think someone my age should be more focused on politics and less focused on silly little kids' games."

"Last time I checked, you're a lot closer to silly little kid than crusty old person."

"Exactly my point. And what duelists are there aren't all that interested in teaching someone how to beat them. That's where you come in." She sat down next to him. "Can you help me?"

He glanced sidelong at her, narrowing an eye. "Anyone tell you the story of the kid who got lynched at Battle City?"

"Anyone tell you he lived?" she responded. "Gotta wake up, cuz. Nobody's asking you to take my place in this tournament, least of all yours truly. Sure as hell the security's gonna be a lot better than it was in Japan – for one thing, this is happening in New York. And like the paper says, the tournament's closed to the public."

"What's your point?"

"That there won't be a repeat performance of what happened to you." She looked pointedly at him. "I suppose now's the part where I say, 'I'm really sorry that it did, and I wish there was something I could do to help.' But I already know you're going to say there's nothing, so I'm choosing to move past all that and ask for your help in getting me ready for an event that's really big for me. In my book, you're the best person for that job."

He stared at her for a long moment. Then he said, "You know what?"

"Hm."

"You're what my mom calls 'a pain in the ass'."

"Well, that's what my mom calls it, too."

–  
_That Night  
_–

Zack rubbed his head. He wasn't accustomed to his new buzz cut quite yet, not after spending the last two months dealing with the apex of his hair's growth. But at some point he'd looked in the mirror and decided his hair had gone to quite enough nocturnal parties without bringing him along for the ride.

_One less thing I'll have to worry about in the mornings, too_, he thought. He'd been on too many daybreak grocery runs that had involved a cashier repressing snickers at his unmanaged mane.

He pulled aside a blind, attracted by the patter of steady rain against the window. He could see a distant flash of lightning, and a light roll of thunder followed. He smiled slightly. He'd always been a fan of rainy days – it was an excuse to stay in.

_Not like I don't do that already with this job..._

He made a beeline for the bathroom, ready to brush his teeth and go to bed a little earlier than usual, but before he was even past the kitchen, he heard a sharp knock on his door. He frowned. _Who's over here at this time of night?_

He diverted to the door and disengaged the deadbolt lock – it clicked noisily. When he opened the door, he blinked in surprise; standing there was Jade, rain-soaked and looking quite cold as she gripped her upper arms. It was her wit, however, that led off. "You're wearing a shirt this time."

"And you're looking lovely, too," he remarked.

"Thank you, but you don't need to keep trying, I'm already on your doorstep looking to come inside."

He felt a sudden breeze beat against the entryway and realized just how bitterly cold it was. He swung the door open and stood aside. "Ergh. Yeah, get in here."

She stepped through and shuddered. "Much better."

Zack closed the door and then took a couple steps back. "What're you doing in Decatur? I thought you were going to Indy."

"That storm's a lot worse once you start driving into it." She flushed slightly. "I underestimated it. As a rule, I don't do that. So I pulled off at the nearest friendly port, so to speak. It's on its way here right now."

Zack cocked his head. "And you come here? I'd've figured you'd go set up at a hotel."

"Normally. But this place is closer and the storm's moving quickly. You have a bed you don't use, a shower, and a dryer, and those are really the only things I need."

He smirked. "And coming here you can get all those things for free. Convenient for you."

"I knocked this time."

"That, you did," he conceded.

"And I have cards to trade to you, in exchange for that page of Spellcasters." She looked at him, a strange mix of emotions on her face; the only one he could readily identify was a hint of annoyance. "I'm wet, cold, and very tired, Zack."

He held his hands up. "Okay, okay, sold. Let me go get you some dry clothes and you can have the bathroom."

"Thank you."

He went into the bedroom – it was the only one in the apartment but he considered it a spare, anyway, given just how much living he did in his living room – and dug through the dresser until he found a sweatsuit of suitable size. As an afterthought, he retrieved a change of clothes for himself, and on his way out, he also snatched his toothbrush from the bathroom.

He could see Jade trying to restrain her shivering, but she was only moderately successful and she looked far too tense in the attempt. He handed her the sweats. "Good god, woman, get in that bathroom and warm up, would you? I'll have to start taking care of you and your pneumonia."

She didn't answer, but merely took the clothes and went into the bathroom. Only a moment later, Zack could hear the hot water hissing. He rolled his eyes. _What am I doing? This is nuts. Just letting her waltz in and..._

He shook his head. _Nah. Don't even bother complaining. It's all getting too interesting for that. If she didn't want to be here, she wouldn't be. And it can't be completely because of the cards I have – they might be good, but she could conceivably get them from anywhere she wanted to._

He felt his stomach twitch. He frowned. _I just ate two hours ago..._ Though he had to admit to himself the meal was modest – just a can of beef stew and some boiled rice.

_I wonder if she's eaten..._

He opened a cabinet in a suddenly inspired search for soup.

–  
_Overnight  
_–

Monica hid a yawn behind her fist. Belatedly she realized it was a stupid gesture, as she was the only one in the apartment and there was nobody and nothing to offend. Her eyes scanned the list she'd spent the last few hours compiling and refining.

_This is starting to shape up very nicely. I keep my staples but I reconfigure the rest to help enhance and support the main theme._ The piece of notepad paper she'd been writing on was covered with ink scratch outs and scribbles. There was almost no room left on it to write any more.

She glanced at the coffee table, where the invitation sat amidst a menagerie of junk mail, bills, and correspondence. _Going to feel strange, attending a tournament he won't be part of._ She knew he'd been sent an invitation – she'd been picking up his mail for him regularly since his disappearance – but she doubted anything would change in the next two weeks. They certainly hadn't in the last six. _There's no telling how long he'll be away. Could be weeks, months..._ She shuddered to think of the next link on that chain.

Her cell phone abruptly began to rattle across the coffee table. She blinked; she'd set the device on vibrate earlier in the day because she didn't want it interrupting class. _Who in the world is calling me at 2 a.m.?_

_And for that matter, what in the world am I even doing awake at 2 a.m.? I have class in six hours..._

She checked the caller ID on it and was astonished to see the name there. She put the phone to her ear. "Chubs? Is everything okay?"

"_Yeah. Fine. Did I wake you?"_

"No, not at all. I was just... doing a little extracurricular work." She stuck the phone in the crook between neck and shoulder and continued reviewing the list. "You're up awfully late. Something on your mind?"

"_Yeah. I know it's a weird hour and everything, but it's sort of been bugging me since this morning and I just wanted to say... I'm sorry for yelling at you. You were right about me. For kind of a while I've been choosing to believe the worst about everything and everyone. It's what follows, I guess, when somebody tries to do the worst to you and it isn't even because you did anything."_

She sighed. "Believe me, I do know how that feels. Those guys took me hostage, too, after all. I had to duel my way out of it."

"_Sorry for saying so, but what you describe happened to you was a lot different from what happened to me. I don't pretend to understand what's going on or why you're trying to hide the insane, terrible truth from me. I came away from that with the lesson that nothing is quite what it seems, even those things you thought you knew best."_

"Chubs..."

"_Monica, I'm doing my best not to blame anyone except the people who strung me up. It's a hard thing when I don't have all the facts at hand like you do."_

"It's even harder to have those facts. All I can tell you right now is that you're right – nothing's quite what it seems. Even Kyle. But I believed him when he told me he tried his best to save you. And you're still alive, so shouldn't that count for something?"

"_For now, as far as I'm concerned, that fact counts only for itself. Short of telling me what I don't know, I'm afraid you won't be able to change that. But I don't want to hold it against you. I'm doing my best to respect that what you know is at your discretion to share. Just... don't expect me to demonstrate appreciation for it. Okay?"_

She pursed her lips. This was somewhat less than she'd hoped for. _But in his position, would I think the same way? Probably._ "Fair enough."

There was a strange silence over the line. Monica could almost hear Chubs chosing his next words before speaking them. _"Valerie and her folks dropped in. She has an invitation to a closed tournament in New York."_

Monica blinked. "Seriously?"

"_Yeah. Supposed to be a rather elite gathering, too. Happens in a couple weeks. Do you know anything about it?"_

"No more than that, and I was invited, too." She reached for her invitation and read it over again. "Says a hundred twenty-eight highly-ranking duelists from across North America were invited. Valerie must be getting really good, then."

"_She says she has me to thank for it."_

"Sound like she's got a good head on her shoulders."

"_Right. Well, she asked for my help in getting her ready."_

Monica felt a crick developing in her neck, so she straightened it out and took the phone back into her hand. "She wanted you to duel her?"

"_She didn't say it outright. At first it was just looking for the right cards at the right prices. But I think she wants to get me back into the game. And having her over here, so enthusiastic about it... for a moment, almost made me want to play."_

Monica smiled. "Maybe she's just what the doctor ordered, then."

"_Maybe. But I don't think I can use this deck anymore. I used every single monster I had in that duel. Even playing any of them again... probably set me off."_

"Then it sounds to me like you need to go on a shopping spree. I even know a good dealer who might be able to hook you up."

"_I'm not saying I want to dive back into it quite yet,"_ Chubs protested. _"I'm just saying... I had one of those moments where I could think about it without thinking about... you know."_

"Yeah. I know."

Another awkward silence followed for several seconds. Finally he said, _"Well... thanks for talking. I know it's late, I should probably let you get to sleep."_

"You can call me anytime."

"_I know. Thanks."_

Monica heard the click that signified the disconnection of the call. She leaned back in her seat and heaved a sigh. _This is getting harder and harder..._

She stared at her phone for a long moment. _I don't think it's my place to tell him what happened... but Kyle's gone, no telling when he'll return, and the longer I make Chubs wait for the truth..._

_There's really only one other person I can ask for advice now._

She began to dial.


	25. The Hidden

The phone was ringing.

Zack groaned, and for a moment wrapped his pillow about his head to try to block out the noise. But it only seemed to get louder, and after a moment, he released the pillow and struggled to get out of bed to find the nearest receiver and shout at whomever had deigned to interrupt his sleep.

_Not to mention the sleep of my guest!_ he groused. In his search he stubbed his toe against some unseen object, causing him to grunt and curse under his breath. He dug underneath a stack of papers for a moment before finally wrapping his fingers about the cordless.

He clicked the Talk button and put the phone to his ear, doing nothing to restrain his irritation. "Whoever you are, surely this can wait until morning, can't it?"

"_Sorry, Zack, but I'm not so sure it can."_

At that, he calmed slightly. "Monica?"

"_No, Zack, it's the Tooth Fairy. I wanted to make sure your bowling ball head was off your pillow so I could actually lift it, take my prize, and leave a gold dollar."_

"Sarcasm is a disturbing thing coming from you at... what the hell time is it, anyway?" He hit the glow button on his watch.

As his eyes acclimated to the sudden burst of light, Monica said, _"Over here it's past two, so it should be a little bit after midnight there."_

"Yeah, s'what it looks like. I'd ask why you're up so late but I get the feeling you'll come to that soon enough. What's so important?"

"_Chubs just called me. He said he was sorry about losing his temper, and sort of got into how he knows I'm hiding... well, everything."_

"Sorry to say but you're not that good at hiding things, Monica. Is that what you needed to know?"

"_Hardly,"_ she scoffed. _"But seriously, I'm sitting here thinking he really needs to know the truth about what happened."_

"Haven't we already had this conversation?"

"_Yeah, but it's getting harder for me not to spill the beans. He's my friend. He's yours, too. Jade and I told you what happened and you were open-minded enough to listen... and you didn't even encounter any of the magicians. Chubs was in the thick of them."_

"I don't have any particular emotional stake involved in the whole sordid tale. In his head, he's diminished the shield's value to nothing more than a trinket and he's diminished Kyle to a backstabber."

"_All the more reason to tell him sooner rather than later. The longer we allow that to set itself in his head, the harder it'll be to turn him around."_

"Yet he called you tonight to apologize for taking out his anger on you. He's figuring out that you're not to blame."

"_That doesn't change the fact he's still blaming the wrong person for what happened."_

"Well, things are still messed up in his head. And for the first time, sounds like he knows that. And if he knows it, he can work on it. Did he ask you to tell him what's really going on?"

"Zack?"

He turned and squinted across the darkness of his living room and kitchen. Jade was standing in the hallway with a blanket wrapped around her, looking bleary-eyed and more than a little annoyed. "Didn't business hours conclude before I got here? You're the manager, not 24/7 Mr. Fix-It."

Zack put his hand over the mike. "It's Monica. She doesn't want to keep hiding all the weirdness from Chubs. Care to offer up your opinion?"

"_Zack? Who're you talking to?"_

He sighed and spoke into the phone. "Just a second." He looked back up at Jade.

Except she wasn't there anymore.

He rolled his eyes. _I really hate it when she does that._ "Never mind." He rubbed his eyes. "Look... I guess when it comes down to it, you and I just aren't going to agree on this matter. Bottom line, I'm not going to talk to him about it. I'm not the one who should. Besides, as far as he knows, I still don't know any more than he does."

"_That's not fair, Zack."_

"Welcome to real life. But whether you talk to him about it or not, could you at least sleep on it? And let us sleep, too?"

"'_Us'? Something I should know about?"_

Zack clenched his eyes shut. _Dammit. Here I am talking about discretion and I couldn't keep a handle on that. _"We all have our little secrets, Mo. I'll let you know when I want to share mine. But for now... is there anything else?"

"_Well... Valerie got invited to that closed tournament in New York. You might want to know to expect a flurry of ordering. Chubs might even have some interest in it, too. He said she's starting to motivate him the right way."_

Zack raised an eyebrow. "And here I thought Valerie was still making her way through the amateur circuits."

"_So did I. Guess she got up the ranks a lot faster than we thought she would. But if she got invited, I wonder if he did, too. He didn't say anything."_

"Well, give him time on that. Just because he might be willing to hold a card again doesn't necessarily mean he's willing to play it."

"_I know, I know. But he's getting close and I'd hate for him to miss out if he's been invited."_

"So would I. Just take care in how you encourage him or else he'll get turned off it a lot faster than it took for him to come back to it."

He winced at a burst of static across the line, the electronic interpretation of Monica heaving a sigh – and that was a sure sign he was saying everything she didn't want to hear. _"Okay. Sorry for waking you."_

"No big deal."

"_Liar. Talk to you later."_

"Yeah." Zack deactivated the phone, then slumped back on his mattress and stared at the ceiling for a long moment.

"I'd rather you not make it public knowledge I'm here, if it's all the same to you."

He closed his eyes and rolled them behind his eyelids. "Letting slip that somebody besides me is here to one of my best friends hardly makes it public knowledge. I thought I saved it nicely."

"You were awfully grumpy and you practically told her there was a member of the opposite sex here. I don't call that particularly graceful."

"There's no way for her to know you were that member."

"I see. And how many other girls have spent the night here?"

"Until tonight, you were among that unanimous population."

Jade almost guffawed. "Now _that_ was graceful."

"Like your exit just then." Zack rolled onto his side and opened his eyes; she was again standing in the hall entrance, wrapping her blanket a little more tightly around her. "If you didn't want to give an opinion you could've just said no and that would've been the end of it."

"I don't have any say in the matter one way or the other. You two are like a couple of parents arguing in front of their kids."

"Monica thinks Chubs deserves to know why what happened to him happened at all. I'm in line with that, I just don't think she should be telling him."

She tilted her head to one side. "You don't need to repeat the conversation to me. You made it clear what you think and she made it clear what she thinks. But did either of you ever stop to wonder why Kyle kept it all secret?"

At that, Zack had to hesitate. "I... assumed it was because we'd all have thought he was out of his mind."

She moved into the living room; a ray of moonlight spearing through the kitchen window caught her face and he could see her furrowed brow. "It's more than that, Zack. That shield gives him abilities I can't even begin to grasp and it's being pursued by evil sorcerers who want him dead. Beyond them, how many other people out there would love to get their hands on an artifact like that? You can't tell me you wouldn't want one."

"If I knew the baggage that came with it, I might not," he said, but he felt himself falter even with that defense.

"Nice try. But Kyle gets to run around and play hero because he has something we don't. How many times have you caught yourself fantasizing that critical moment where, in the right place, at the right time, with the right tools, you saved lives and beat the bad guys?"

Zack harrumphed. "We've all done that, but I'd like to know what your point is."

"Knowing what we know saddles us with the burden of trying to keep his secret."

He frowned. "I don't have any illusions that it's a big secret to keep. But what makes you think we'd blow something this important?"

Jade looked pointedly at him. "You're sitting here having a horrible time trying to hide from Monica that you have a female houseguest. You're also doing only a mediocre job of trying to hide your attraction to that houseguest."

Zack felt blood rushing to his ears. _Just ignore her even having said that..._ "Just because I'm not terribly practiced in social interaction does _not_ mean I can't hold my tongue when it comes to Kyle, the shield, Theoris, and what have you. Who would believe any of us anyway?"

"More people than you might think. Zack, ever since we met, you've demonstrated a certain smug satisfaction at being in the know. I'm well-qualified to judge – I do the same thing when I know what most others don't. And people like us tend to flaunt our possession of that knowledge, if not the information itself. In that regard, we are absolutely the most dangerous friends Kyle has."

He narrowed his eyes. "If that's what you think, why did you and Monica decide to tell me everything?"

"I can't speak for Monica. For my part? Chalk it up to temporary insanity, if it'll help you get back to sleep tonight. Speaking of which, that's where I'd like to be right about now." She turned and headed back into the hallway.

Zack scowled into the darkness – and his mouth was open before his brain could censor it. "The least you could do is turn me down."

She halted in the entryway. A long moment passed... and when she spoke again, her voice was much softer.

"I don't want to."

He blinked in astonishment.

And she was gone again.

–

_The Next Day_

–

Chubs was decidedly thankful he'd had the foresight to grab a coat and hat before leaving the house. He was feeling chilled even beneath those items; winter was most definitely on its way. His hands were stuffed deeply in his pockets. His right hand fingered a wad of bills – he'd dropped by the bank earlier to cash in his coin jar and was quite happily rewarded with far more than he'd expected. _More quarters and fewer pennies will do that, I guess..._

"How much further?"

He turned and blinked. "You're from New Hampshire. You're not accustomed to this kind of cold?"

Valerie whined. "New Hampshire's not part of the Arctic Circle, Cody. I hate blistering winds. Why couldn't we have just taken your car?"

"I need the exercise. But if you prefer, we can turn around and go back home."

She scoffed. "Let me guess – we're more than halfway there?"

"Does it matter? This is an errand you wanted to go on. If you can't take a little brisk weather while on the way to buy things..."

"You're a butt."

"Well, thank you." He turned a corner and took her across the street. A block away the sign could be seen: _ABCD – All Boards, Cards, and Dice_. When Chubs gestured at it, Valerie scoffed.

"That's about the cheesiest sign I've ever seen. And I've seen some doozies."

"Don't let that fool you," Chubs advised. "He only does part-time here, usually when the manager's not in. Today is one of those days, which means he'll be in here and he'll have his stash available for inspection."

"Who?"

Chubs adopted a half-smile. "You know how I always said 'I've got a guy'? This is him."

When the door's bell sounded, Zack looked up from the counter and blinked. "Well, well... the prodigal son returns."

"Maybe not quite yet," Chubs advised, and he stood aside to let Valerie in. "But he's got another up-and-coming trainee for you. She's got a lot of promise, too."

"Flattery will get you nowhere," Valerie remarked.

"On the contrary, it gets me a lot of places I might not otherwise be," said Zack. He smiled. "I'm Zack Sawyer."

"Valerie Garron." She tilted her head. "I've heard your name before."

"Not surprised. It tends to get spoken by those who have cards they love." He chuckled. "Speaking of which, I'm assuming that's why you're in here. I'd heard you were on your way up the ranks but I didn't realize how quickly."

"Not quickly enough," she sighed. "The tier system is going to reset in less than two months. Come January I'm back down at the bottom again."

"So's everyone else." Zack shrugged. "Doesn't mean you can't show everyone what you're made of now. Give 'em something to look forward to when the new year arrives."

"Well, for that, I need some souping up for my deck. Cody tells me you're his guy."

"Yeah, well, don't tell anyone about the engagement, or everyone's going to want ringside seats for the wedding."

"Very funny," Chubs scorned. "Let's see the stash."

He expected some good-natured ribbing; what he didn't expect was the strange look that crossed Zack's face. "Careful with who you tell about that... I don't want just anyone to come in here hunting for them."

Chubs frowned. "Valerie's hardly 'just anyone', Zack. You're the one I trust to show me the best available stock. I think she's worth trusting to keep it all on the lowdown."

"I hope so. It may not be my primary source of income but I do like working here." Zack looked at Valerie; his expression did not change. "How about you? Can you keep this secret?"

"Um, yes?" she said, starting to feel strange about being here.

"Hey, c'mon, Zack," Chubs interjected. "It's already been established. Where's all this coming from?"

The other man hesitated a moment – looked as if there was something he wanted to say – but then he shook his head. "It's nothing. Sorry, didn't mean to weird you out." He turned back to Valerie and smiled again... notably, the expression was only half-hearted. "Your first impression of me must not be all that great. Let's see what I can offer you to make up for it."

He turned and withdrew his binders.

–

The doctor approached the nurse's station. "How's the mystery patient?"

"No change." A pair of nurses seated behind the round desk were busying themselves with other paperwork; it was the elder of them that answered. "Did you expect any differently? Hasn't been responding to any stimuli. It's rather a miracle his organs were functioning at all when he was brought in."

"About dry as a bone," supplemented the younger nurse, whose eye seemed to be caught on something.

The doctor arched an eyebrow at that. "I trust everyone's been making sure _his_ bones are sufficiently moist?"

"Hm?" Her attention was clearly on something on the desk.

He frowned. "Might I ask exactly what I'm distracting you from?"

"Oh." She flushed slightly. "I'm sorry. He was wearing this when he was brought in." She held up the object in question.

He took it, turned it over in his hand, and narrowed his eyes at it. "Odd... I could swear I've seen this somewhere before." He glanced back at the nurse, his eyebrow again raised. "If he was wearing it then, why isn't it with his personal effects now? It's not polite to sit around dazzling at trinkets belonging to others... particularly without their permission."

"Sorry, Doctor," she mumbled. "I'll put it with his effects."

"Please do. And let me know if his condition changes... the others put together a pool going on when he'll wake up."

The nurse stood, her head slightly down, and she shuffled up the hallway, silently chastising herself for letting the necklace distract her. Certainly there were more important things to worry about, but there was something about the way the light caught it... even in shadow, it glimmered.

She entered the room. The quiet hums and beeping of the machinery within was almost harmonious. She'd grown to enjoy it – and indeed, it was much better than the alternative, complete lack of noise while a patient lay within one of their beds.

_Speaking of which..._ She approached the bedside and looked down at the sleeping man's face. His hair was long, stringy, and unruly – he'd clearly not showered in some time. He also had a fair degree of scruff covering the lower half of his face. What skin was exposed was terribly sunburned. When he'd been brought in, he'd been about as close to death as she'd ever seen anyone suffering that degree of dehydration. His symptoms all were conclusive of having spent far too much time in the desert and not nearly enough near a source of water.

But he'd been found in a shaded fruit kiosk. And it was during shopping hours, so dozens of witnesses would have seen him collapse there, yet it was only the proprietor of the stand who noticed this man who, he claimed, was literally not there one moment and there the next. No identification, no money... no shirt, no shoes. Only a pair of badly torn pants and some strange jewelry. Clearly not a native, but until he awoke, he wouldn't be answering many questions in that department, and he didn't match any regional or even continental missing persons reports.

She pursed her lips and slipped the necklace into the bag perched on the nameless patient's bedside table. If she were religious, she might have said a prayer for him.

There was no doubt in her mind that he could use one.

She stepped back out of the room, and returned to the desk.

–

The doctor restrained a smile. _That's right. Just leave it there for me..._

He saw her leave the room; she left the door open. Again he held back his elation at his luck. _It'll only be a moment now..._

He stepped swiftly through the door. Admonishing her about playing with "personal effects" had given her exactly the idea for redemption he'd intended to plant – to put it in the bag. Psychology wasn't precisely his field, but it didn't hurt to know that proper keywords would trigger desired responses.

He pulled the top of the bag open, reached in, and removed the shield-shaped pendant.

_The Millennium Shield._ He smirked. _Got you._


	26. Second Exodus

"Elemental Heroes? Sounds like some comic book or cartoon show."

Chubs chuckled. "Ouch. I think you just got dissed, Zack."

The card dealer harrumphed in bemusement. "Now, just hold on, before you get all snotty about it. I'll have you know the E-Heroes run a solid strategy."

Valerie leaned over the counter. "Really. Just how solid?"

"Play your cards right and you can get virtually any monster you want out on the field within the first three turns."

She raised an eyebrow – _now that's a strategy I wouldn't mind at least researching._ "Okay, my interest is piqued. What does it take?"

"First and foremost, a deck stacked with E-Heroes," Zack advised. "Actually, to be more precise, it takes two decks stacked with them. This strategy involves fusing, and lots of it. To get right down to basics..." He flipped to a page apparently reserved to this theme, where four normal monsters and many more effect monsters bearing the words _Elemental Hero_ in their names shone up at her.

"Each Attribute has at least one E-Hero as a member. Virtually all are Warrior-Types, as befits their common title. And virtually all are fusion material. The fun of it is, they fuse into each other." He tapped one of the normal monsters. "Burstinatrix here, for example, is material for no fewer than five different fusion monsters, as is Clayman below her. Next to her is Avian, and he's got his name on six. Below him is Sparkman, partial to seven."

Now both her eyebrows were raised. "All of them into each other?"

"And sometimes requiring more than two. Even sometimes requiring the fusion monsters they create to form greater, more powerful versions – Avian and Burstinatrix make Flame Wingman, but then add Sparkman to that and you've got Shining Flare Wingman."

"Just the names imply strength in offensive power. What've they got in the way of defense?"

"Fewer options," Zack admitted, "but many are almost evenly balanced in that regard. Burstinatrix and Clayman's Rampart Blaster has high defense but can attack while defending. Clayman and Bubbleman form Mudballman, and while he has no special effect to his credit, he can withstand 3000 attack points where no other E-Hero can. If defense points alone won't get it done, go for Tempest, a fusion of Sparkman, Avian, and Bubbleman – by sending one card on your field to the graveyard, you make any one monster on your field invulnerable to attack."

"Which sounds great," she noted, "but doesn't all this depend largely on what monsters you've drawn? A deck will only offer up so many options in your opening hand and that's one of the most critical times to one-up your opponent."

"Well, that's where these two come in – E-Heroes Stratos and Prisma." Zack flipped the page to reveal his choice effect monsters. "Stratos will let you draw any E-Hero you want from your deck when you summon it. Prisma, on the other hand, can let you discard a chosen E-Hero from your deck completely... in return, it adopts the name of the discarded monster for the duration of the turn. If you can use it, fuse it."

She had to smile at that. "Cute. I'll give that some serious thought." She turned to Chubs. "Maybe you should look through the binder, see if anything catches your eye."

Chubs chewed his lower lip for a moment. "I dunno. I mean, I don't hate the game, but..."

Zack withdrew the binder. "No need to rush back into it if you'd prefer not. You've got to hammer it out for yourself, after all."

"Yeah." Chubs nodded. "Yeah, I do. But I'm not the one who got invited to the tournament – Valerie is."

Valerie gave Chubs a glance. "If they were any degree of intelligent, they'd have sent you an invitation too. I wasn't good enough for Madison's tournament, much less Battle City."

"Probably better off as far as the latter's concerned," Zack said quickly, before Chubs could respond; he saw a scowl creep across the other man's face nevertheless. "That wasn't really a good day for anybody."

"Changed my life," Chubs muttered. His expression cleared somewhat and he looked almost apologetically at Zack. "Not yet. Okay?"

Zack nodded once. "Okay."

–

Valerie had opted not to purchase any cards during the visit; in spite of the complaints she'd made on the way to the shop, she was really only interested in window-shopping for new ideas. Her deck, powerful though it was, was to her just a "cookie cutter" recipe, stacked with powerful cards that virtually everyone had access to.

She wanted something more inspiring.

Maybe, just maybe, even stronger.

But though the cards Zack had been pushing were tempting, Valerie had taken time to consider the amount of support put behind them – support that could only have developed from immense popularity.

That wasn't where she wanted to come from. She wanted a deck recipe nobody would see coming. She wanted something that was hers, and hers alone.

She and Chubs had returned to his house with nothing but chatter. When it came down to it, that was all right with her. Zack had acted... strange. There weren't many other ways to describe his behavior. Chubs was quick to note that it wasn't typical of him, and indeed, even Zack himself had admitted it. He'd even gone to lengths to be nicer and more polite to her than she imagined was his usual demeanor.

Something was off. She had a feeling it had to do with the whole mess in Battle City. Chubs had told her once that nobody seemed to want to tell him the whole story... but there was no way to prove anyone had a story to tell. She didn't want to think he was nuts – and she couldn't have blamed him if he was – but she wanted even less to think the people he counted as his best friends would keep from him what he needed for closure.

_I can't believe I even mentioned Battle City in there!_ she thought, thoroughly embarrassed. She wanted to apologize but she knew that would only continue to fray on Chubs' nerves and ultimately be a waste of breath and time. So she had stayed quiet on the matter, and stuck with the subject of new cards and opportunities available to her conceivably after the tournament. She wanted to get in as much as possible before the annual tier reset.

_Hence the new deck I'm after._

When she began playing Duel Monsters, she'd sought out advice from Chubs, who to her was the greatest expert she knew personally. She already knew the basics of the game, and she was beginning to master the more advanced tactics. But it was only last December that she finally felt ready to start building her own deck – until then, she'd only used decks others had built for her – and it was the day after Christmas she'd called him to ask his opinion. He'd said, _"First you need to establish what you want your deck to be."_

"What do you mean?" she'd asked, feeling an amateur for doing so.

"_When I build a deck, I like to put my personality into it. Well,"_ he'd laughed then, _"maybe not so much. My best and favorite deck has a theme of fire to it – fire and vast, unpredictable power. So maybe that's not who I am but it's sort of the kind of guy I'd like to be. Y'know, like Kyle."_

"Who?" The name had no meaning to her.

"_Never mind,"_ he'd responded, amusement in his voice. _"I guess what you're going for is showing your opponent who and what you most aspire to be. For me, it's to be spontaneous and unpredictable, just like fire can be. Put into it what inspires you, a theme you feel like you can connect with. Build it up. Work with it, and make it work with and for you. Make it so that you're the best person for it, and it's the best deck for you."_

She'd shaken her head. "I'm not sure that helps me. How'm I supposed to know what works best for me?"

"_Do you like Jinzo?"_

She'd made an unenthusiastic sound. "I like the effect... I like the level and attack power... but I don't like the monster itself. It's hideous and as a rule I don't care for Machine-Type monsters."

"_That's how you know. It doesn't work for you if you don't like it, so don't put one in this dream deck of yours. If you don't like the components of your deck, you're not going to have fun with it. Not to sound dirty, but what works best for you in this game is what turns you on. Build by that principle, no matter how ridiculous it might sound. And just take it from there."_

"But that doesn't mean my deck will be successful. You could be asking me to stack it with monsters that have no attack points, for all you know."

"_And for all I know, that strategy can work – just because I've never seen it doesn't mean it can't."_

"That's not my point. How can I make it cohesive?"

"_Grab a notebook and start writing down the names of those cards you most like and want. Doesn't matter if most people consider them useless or ineffective. Write them all down. Pick a number of cards you want in your deck – most people go for forty or fifty, sometimes sixty but usually no more. Then start crossing out the ones you think will do you the least good... the excess, the glue that doesn't bind. Whittle it all down to a recipe whose cards work well in concert with each other, cards you can create multiple alternative strategies with."_

"Wouldn't it be easier just writing it in a notepad file on my computer?" she'd asked. "Technology has allowed for such things."

"_Write it down, and in pen,"_ he'd insisted. _"You have it written down, there's a permanent record you've chosen that card for consideration. We take it more seriously when we write it down. Just try it out."_

Eleven months later, in the late evening, Valerie found herself stretched out on the couch of the Smith residence's living room, a notebook in her lap and a pen in her hand. Every Elemental Hero monster she'd scribed had since been crossed off. She just didn't see how that theme could be so unique that she alone could master it.

But there was a theme within their theme that she could still make hers...

One that appealed greatly to her, and allowed for vast eclecticism if she so desired.

She smiled, and shifted in her seat, ready to write anew–

Something crinkled.

She frowned. Shifted again.

More crinkling noises.

"What the hell?" she muttered, and she threw her legs over the edge of the couch to stand. _Sounds like there's something under the cushion..._

But the cushions of the couch were not removable; they were stitched securely to the seat. Her frown deepened as she slid her hand between the cushions, not sure what she expected to find except something that surely didn't belong there. _Aunt Kathy has her carpets and upholstery cleaned the same time every year – end of October, to get ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Whatever's in here must have fallen in within only the past couple weeks..._

Her index and middle fingers caught upon a crumpled piece of paper. She pressed her fingers together and tugged it out.

Her eyes widened when she realized what it was.

–

Chubs stormed into the TV room, a crumpled sheet of paper in hand and fury on his face. His mother was watching a crime show – he'd never bothered to keep track of them all and so had no idea which one it was, but at the moment, he didn't really care.

He tossed the paper in her lap, his scowl so dark she immediately sat upright.

"Opening mail not addressed to you is, in fact, a crime," he growled. "Good thing you were watching this show – were you trying to find out how long you could get put away for it?"

"Cody..."

He snatched the remote from the end table next to her chair and turned the TV off. "How could you keep this from me? What gave you the right?"

Now her expression turned almost as dark as his own. "I almost lost you half a world away from home, I'm _not_ going to let you risk your life to go off and do the same thing all over again!" she responded angrily. "Judge me however you like for that! I was going to give it to you once the event was overwith."

"What the hell for? I wouldn't have had any use for it then, except as a trophy for what might have been. That's an insult!"

"It was supposed to show that the community hasn't forgotten you. Still thinks you're good at that game. That's the only reason I didn't burn it on sight. I thought you would have wanted to know the standing you still–"

"My standing doesn't mean anything if I don't use it! The tier system is going to reset in two months and I'll be a rock bottom duelist like all the rest!"

"What made you start caring so suddenly?" she shot back. "You've been skulking around this town doing nothing for two months because of post-traumatic depression, you've been throwing your cards all around your room, yelling at your friends who play – it was Kyle who made the accident happen in the first place, all over this stupid game!"

"And right when I'm starting to feel like I might actually be ready to face the demon that wasn't even to blame, you decide for yourself that taking away an opportunity to face it full-on is all for the best? I don't buy it. Did you somehow think I'm not capable of making that decision for myself, whether I'm ready for it?"

"You've barely shown you're capable of tying your shoes in the morning! How could I trust you to stay away from these tournaments before it all defaulted? Come January you won't have reason to play anymore, and if that's what it takes to keep you safe, then so be it!"

"What do you mean, I 'won't have reason to play'?" he demanded. "I still like the game. So something bad happened to me when I was playing it. You know what? I didn't have any control over that. None whatsoever. I played the game to save my life – I can honestly say I couldn't have played better. I dueled my heart out, and if those stakes hadn't been in place, I'd have been as proud of myself for doing as well as I did then as I am now."

"_Proud?_ Those men tried to _kill_ you and Kyle allowed that to happen! What in the world could he have been trying to protect that was more valuable than your life? Answer me that!"

"Look, I may never understand why Kyle did what he did," Chubs said, "and mark my words, I haven't forgiven him for it. I hate him for it. I'd like to string him up and show him how it feels to get your neck snapped. You think it hasn't occurred to me during my every waking moment my _best friend_ was willing to risk my life over a trinket? The game had nothing to do with it. No, actually," he amended, "that's not true – the only thing the game had to do with it was it showed me what I'm worth to Kyle. If anything, I should be thankful for that, not turning my back on it."

"Fine! Then play the game here, in the safety of your own home, instead of leaving it and making me wonder if I'll never see you again!"

He forced himself to soften his tone. "It doesn't work like that, Mom. Kyle's gone, probably for good, and thank God for that. Whoever those guys were, whatever it was they really wanted... they know we're not friends anymore, and not worth anything to each other – there's no point. I'm just as safe as the next duelist who goes to a tournament. Actually, in this case, even safer." He gestured to the paper. "It's a _closed_ tournament. Battle City took place all over Domino. This is being set in a single place. Tight security. Curfews. Wake-up calls. The whole smash. They learned something from Battle City, not to let things like that happen again."

"Cody, you're still recovering!"

"The physical damage has healed, Mom. All that's left is what's in my head. I have to get back into this game and face that. I'm not going to get any better than this if in my head I can't separate the game from what happened."

"Cody, you're not ready for this yet, and you're not going. I've made my decision."

He scoffed. "As if it's _your_ decision to make."

"Long as you live here, it is."

"What, you'll kick me out if I go play a game?"

"No. But I'll do what I have to in order to make sure you stay safe."

"You mean stay away from what I want to do. Playing Duel Monsters isn't dangerous, Mom. _I'm_ the one who was traumatized and I understand that. Why can't you?"

"Say what you want. I'm not convinced whoever those madmen were wouldn't come after you again if they thought there was something to gain from it. They know if you were likely to show your face anywhere, it would be at a Duel Monsters tournament."

"No way. A normal person might never want to play again after something like that. But I'm not normal. And I'm going to get back into the game."

"Not this way, you're not."

Chubs inhaled deeply. Thought silently for a long moment.

Then he took the paper off her lap, and left the room without another word.

–

Valerie put her hands on her hips. "You're not going to get her to change her mind. What did you think going to her would accomplish?"

"I wanted to at least get her to explain to me why she hid the invitation. She might have been better off just to burn the thing. Then none of us would have ever known." Chubs sat backwards on his desk chair and rested his chin atop his arms, crossed over the arching back of the chair. "I don't know what to do."

"Seems pretty simple to me," said Valerie. "Follow your gut."

"Simple? Yeah. Easy? No."

"Whoever said it was supposed to be easy? Your mom expects you to just stop playing altogether. You don't want to. Ultimately it's up to you what you decide to do about it."

"She thinks she's trying to keep me safe."

"That's because she doesn't understand. She's trying to cope the only way she can. She's blaming the game and Kyle in equal measure – you've already gotten past blaming the game because you know it didn't really have anything to do with... you know."

Chubs sat in contemplative silence for several moments. Then his eyes slid over to his cousin. "I'm going. The question is, what happens when I come back?"

Her eyes softened. "Cody... I think the idea here is that if you go, you won't be coming back."

"Yeah." He blew out a deep breath and stared at his desk – cleaned off for the first time in ages, thanks to Valerie's help earlier today. "It'll break her heart."

"The heart heals."

"Not always. And never quickly." He shook his head. "I won't drop out of high school or transfer anywhere else. I'm getting my diploma here. After that..." He shrugged. "I may not have much reason to stay."

Valerie sat down on his bed and folded her hands in her lap. She let the silence hang in the air for a minute, and then asked, "Want me to help?"

He scoffed quietly. "Deja vu." He looked up. "Grab me a cordless and a phone book. I know a place."

–

The doctor stepped into the nearest restroom he could find. It sounded to him like someone was trying to flag him down from up the hall – all the more reason for him to escape from sight. Swiftly, he entered the walled-off stall at the far end of the room, making sure to shut and lock the door behind him.

He closed his eyes for a moment and rocked his head back. His hands clenched into fists–

"Doctor?" A young male voice cut through the silence of the restroom. "Doctor Mesah?"

He opened his eyes, let his fists relax, and exited the stall, nearly bumping into the fresh-faced intern. He scowled. "Do you mind?" he demanded, tugging on the waistline of his pants.

"I'm sorry," the intern stammered. Then he frowned and glanced about. "Did you see or hear somebody else come in here?"

"No. Just me," he answered truthfully, moving to the sink to wash his hands.

"That's strange. I could have sworn..." The intern rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry."

"Yeah." He looked at his reflection as he dried his hands off. _Too close._ He departed the restroom, and began pacing up the hall, moving faster the closer he came to the exit.

The doors slid aside, and a blast of warm air greeted him.

_Home free._

He clung to shade wherever possible; the sun was only beginning to send its rays into the streets, and it was not a celestial body he was at all eager to greet perhaps ever again. He made his way quickly up the street; he remembered this part of the city all too well, and knew precisely where to go next. He clenched his fists again, and kept them tightly closed this time – concentration was everything.

He stole into the high-rise building. Nobody noticed his presence there... not even when he circled behind the desk to check occupancy records.

_Floor 17 closed for renovation. Perfect._

He got into the nearest elevator, pleased that it was empty, and dialed in for Floor 16. The lift took him up the side of the building; he could see the sweeping panorama of the city below as sunlight crept up ever further above the horizon.

When the elevator came to a stop, its doors opened wide. As he passed through, he could see several frowns of confusion on the faces of passersby. He didn't mind – for him, it simply meant it was working the way it was supposed to.

He took the nearest stairway and ascended to the next floor, ignoring the warning signs about it having been closed, and made his way into the corridor. It was festooned with plastic tarps and half the floor was covered in sawdust. But most importantly, there was no one occupying this floor. Perhaps just as importantly, one of the rooms' doors was slightly ajar.

He slunk into it and lay carefully on the bed.

And Kyle McCraine let the illusion go.


End file.
